Ecclesiastes 2:12-16

Contemporary English Version

Wisdom Comes from God

¹² I asked myself, “What can the next king do that I haven't done?” Then I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and stupidity. ¹³ And I discovered that wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. ¹⁴ Wisdom is like having two good eyes; foolishness leaves you in the dark. But wise or foolish, we all end up the same.

¹⁵ Finally, I said to myself, “Being wise got me nowhere! The same thing will happen to me that happens to fools. Nothing makes sense. ¹⁶ Wise or foolish, we all die and are soon forgotten.”