Ecclesiastes 2:14–15
Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — The New International Version (NIV)
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.
15 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.”
Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — English Standard Version (ESV)
14 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. 15 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.
Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — King James Version (KJV 1900)
14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. 15 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.
Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — New Living Translation (NLT)
14 For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. 15 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!”
Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — New Century Version (NCV)
14 Wise people see where they are going,
but fools walk around in the dark.
Yet I saw that
both wise and foolish people end the same way.
15 I thought to myself,
“What happens to a fool will happen to me, too,
so what is the reward for being wise?”
I said to myself,
“Being wise is also useless.”
Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — American Standard Version (ASV)
14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness: and yet I perceived that one event happeneth to them all. 15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY)
14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness; but I myself also perceived that one event happeneth to them all. 15 And I said in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool so will it happen even to me; and why was I then so wise? Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
14 A wise person uses the eyes in his head, but a fool walks in the dark. But I have also come to realize that the same destiny waits for both of them.
15 I thought to myself, “⸤If⸥ the destiny that waits for the fool waits for me as well, then what is the advantage in being wise?” So I thought that even this is pointless.
Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
14 The wise man has eyes in his head,
but the fool walks in darkness.
Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both. 15 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.
Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
14 The wise have eyes in their head,
but fools walk in darkness.
Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them. 15 Then I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also; why then have I been so very wise?” And I said to myself that this also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — The Lexham English Bible (LEB)
14 The wise man can see where he is walking, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that both of them suffer the same fate. 15 So I said to myself, “If I also suffer the same fate as the fool, what advantage is my great wisdom?” So I said to myself, “This also is vanity!”
Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — New International Reader’s Version (1998) (NIrV)
14 The eyes of a wise man see things clearly.
A person who is foolish lives in darkness.
But I finally realized that death catches up
with both of them.
15 Then I thought,
“What happens to a foolish person will catch up with me too.
So what do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
“That doesn’t have any meaning either.”
Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (NASB95)
14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both.
15 Then I said to myself, “As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said to myself, “This too is vanity.”