Ecclesiastes 9:10-17

English Standard Version

¹⁰ Whatever your hand finds to do, ^(A)do it with your might,^{[a] (B)}for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

Wisdom Better Than Folly

^11 (C)Again I saw that under the sun ^(D)the race is not to the swift, nor ^(E)the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and ^(F)chance ^(G)happen to them all. ¹² For man ^(H)does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and ^(I)like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are ^(J)snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.

¹³ I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. ¹⁴ There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. ¹⁵ But there was found in it ^(K)a poor, wise man, and he by his ^(L)wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. ¹⁶ But I say that ^(M)wisdom is better than might, though ^(N)the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.

¹⁷ The words of the wise heard in ^(O)quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.