¹⁶ For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten.

¹¹ We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

⁵ The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered.

⁸ Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done.

²⁷ And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,

The Lord’s Promise of Mercy

¹⁶ Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.

⁸ So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others?

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.