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Ecclesiastes 9:10-17
English Standard Version
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.
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- Ecclesiastes 9:10 Or finds to do with your might, do it
Ecclesiastes 9:10-17
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 9:10-17
New International Version
10 Whatever(A) your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,(B) for in the realm of the dead,(C) where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.(D)
11 I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,(E)
nor does food come to the wise(F)
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance(G) happen to them all.(H)
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(I)
that fall unexpectedly upon them.(J)
Wisdom Better Than Folly
13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom(K) 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.(L) 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.(M)
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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.