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Ecclesiastes 9:11-18
New King James Version
Ecclesiastes 9:11-18
New King James Version
11 I returned (A)and saw under the sun that—
The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and (B)chance happen to them all.
12 For (C)man also does not know his time:
Like fish taken in a cruel net,
Like birds caught in a snare,
So the sons of men are (D)snared in an evil time,
When it falls suddenly upon them.
Wisdom Superior to Folly
13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: 14 (E)There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great [a]snares around it. 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.
16 Then I said:
“Wisdom is better than (F)strength.
Nevertheless (G)the poor man’s wisdom is despised,
And his words are not heard.
17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard
Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war;
But (H)one sinner destroys much good.”
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:14 LXX, Syr., Vg. bulwarks
Ecclesiastes 9:11-18
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 9:11-18
New International Version
11 I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,(A)
nor does food come to the wise(B)
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance(C) happen to them all.(D)
12 Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:
As fish are caught in a cruel net,
or birds are taken in a snare,
so people are trapped by evil times(E)
that fall unexpectedly upon them.(F)
Wisdom Better Than Folly
13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom(G) that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.(H) 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.(I)
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom(J) is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.