Ecclesiastes 9:11
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11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the skillful, but time and chance happen to them all.(A)
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Jeremiah 9:23
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23 Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom; do not let the mighty boast in their might; do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth;(A)
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Proverbs 21:30-31
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30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
can avail against the Lord.(A)
31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the Lord.(B)
Lamentations 3:37-38
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37 Who can command and have it done,
if the Lord has not ordained it?(A)
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that evil and good come?(B)
Job 5:11-14
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11 he sets on high those who are lowly,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety.(A)
12 He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.(B)
13 He takes the wise in their own craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime
and grope at noonday as in the night.(C)
Ecclesiastes 3:17
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17 I said to myself, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter and for every work.”(A)
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Ecclesiastes 3:14
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14 I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor anything taken from it; God has done this so that all should stand in awe before him.(A)
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Amos 2:14-16
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14 Flight shall perish from the swift,
and the strong shall not retain their strength,
nor shall the mighty save their lives;(A)
15 those who handle the bow shall not stand,
and those who are swift of foot shall not save themselves,
nor shall those who ride horses save their lives;(B)
16 and those who are stout of heart among the mighty
shall flee away naked on that day,
says the Lord.(C)
Psalm 147:10-11
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10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner,[a](A)
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Footnotes
- 147.10 Heb legs of a person
2 Chronicles 20:15
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15 He said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you: Do not fear or be dismayed at this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.(A)
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Ephesians 1:11
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11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance,[a] having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will,(A)
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- 1.11 Or been made a heritage
Ecclesiastes 2:14-15
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14 The wise have eyes in their head,
but fools walk in darkness.
Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them.(A) 15 Then I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also; why then have I been so very wise?” And I said to myself that this also is vanity.(B)
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Ecclesiastes 4:4
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4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from one person’s envy of another. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.(A)
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Ecclesiastes 2:12
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Wisdom and Joy Given to One Who Pleases God
12 So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly, for what can the king’s successor do? Only what has already been done.(A)
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Psalm 33:16-17
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16 A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.(A)
17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.(B)
2 Samuel 17:14
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14 Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring ruin on Absalom.(A)
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Jeremiah 46:6
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6 The swift cannot flee away,
nor can the warrior escape;
in the north by the River Euphrates
they have stumbled and fallen.(A)
Ecclesiastes 4:1
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4 Again I saw all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun. Look, the tears of the oppressed—with no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power—with no one to comfort them.(A)
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Psalm 73:6-7
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6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them like a garment.(A)
7 Their eyes swell out with fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.(B)
2 Samuel 17:23
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23 When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself; he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.(A)
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1 Samuel 2:3-10
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3 Talk no more so very proudly;
let not arrogance come from your mouth,
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.(A)
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble gird on strength.(B)
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.(C)
6 The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.(D)
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low; he also exalts.(E)
8 He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and on them he has set the world.(F)
9 He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked will perish in darkness,
for not by might does one prevail.(G)
10 The Lord! His adversaries will be shattered;
the Most High[a] will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
and exalt the power of his anointed.”(H)
Footnotes
- 2.10 Cn: Heb against him he
Deuteronomy 8:18
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18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.(A)
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Malachi 3:18
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18 Then once more you shall see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.(A)
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Ecclesiastes 7:13
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13 Consider the work of God;
who can make straight what he has made crooked?(A)
Job 34:29
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29 When he is quiet, who can condemn?
When he hides his face, who can behold him?
Whether nation or person, it is the same—(A)
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