¹⁵So I said to myself,^q “If I also suffer the same fate as the fool,^r what advantage is my great wisdom?”^s So I said to myself,^t “This also is vanity!”

Read in Logos

Footnotes

qLiterally “in my heart”
rLiterally “Just as the fate of the fool—so it will happen to me!”
sLiterally “why have I been so exceedingly wise?”
tLiterally “in my heart”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Then I said to myself,

“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.

What then do I gain by being wise?”

I said to myself,

“This too is meaningless.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

So I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?” And I said to myself that this is also futile.

NLTNew Living Translation

Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!”

KJV 1900King James Version

Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.

Public Domain