Ecclesiastes 2:12 - Christian Standard Bible Anglicised

Then I turned to consider wisdom,  madness, and folly, for what will the king’s successor  be like? He  will do what has already been done.

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King James Version (Oxford) 1769

And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

So I turned to consider [human] wisdom and madness and folly; for what can the man do who succeeds the king? Nothing but what has been done already.

American Standard Version (1901)

And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been done long ago.

Common English Bible

My reflections then turned to wisdom, madness, and folly. What can the king’s heir do but what has already been done?

Catholic Public Domain Version

I continued on, so as to contemplate wisdom, as well as error and foolishness. "What is man," I said, "that he would be able to follow his Maker, the King?"

Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version

I passed further to behold wisdom, and errors and folly, (What is man, said I, that he can follow the King his maker?)

Ecclesiastes 2:12 Cross References

Ecclesiastes 1:17

I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge,  madness and folly;  I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind.

Ecclesiastes 3:15

Whatever is, has already been,  and whatever will be, already is. However, God seeks justice for the persecuted.

Ecclesiastes 7:25

I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and examine wisdom  and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness.