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Ecclesiastes 2:12-14
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Ecclesiastes 2:12-14
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
12 What about one who succeeds a king? He can do only what has already been done.[a]
Study of Wisdom and Folly. I went on to the consideration of wisdom, madness and folly. 13 And I saw that wisdom has as much profit over folly as light has over darkness.
14 Wise people have eyes in their heads,
but fools walk in darkness.
Yet I knew that the same lot befalls both.[b](A)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2:12 What…been done: the verse is difficult and elliptical. The words “He can do only” have been added for clarity. The two halves of the verse have been reversed. The author argues that it is useless to repeat the royal experiment described in vv. 1–11. The results would only be the same.
- 2:14 Yet I knew…befalls both: the author quotes a traditional saying upholding the advantages of wisdom, but then qualifies it. Nothing, not even wisdom itself, can give someone absolute control over their destiny and therefore guarantee any advantage.
Ecclesiastes 2:12-14
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 2:12-14
New International Version
Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless
12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
and also madness and folly.(A)
What more can the king’s successor do
than what has already been done?(B)
13 I saw that wisdom(C) is better than folly,(D)
just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their heads,
while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
that the same fate overtakes them both.(E)
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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