Ecclesiastes 9:13-18
New American Standard Bible
13 This too I saw as wisdom under the sun, and [a]it impressed me: 14 there (A)was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siegeworks against it. 15 But there was found in it a (B)poor wise man, and he [b]saved the city (C)by his wisdom. Yet (D)no one remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, “(E)Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are [c]ignored. 17 The (F)words of the wise heard in calm are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 (G)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but (H)one sinner destroys much good.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:13 Lit it was great to me
- Ecclesiastes 9:15 Or might have saved
- Ecclesiastes 9:16 Lit not listened to
Ecclesiastes 9:13-18
New Living Translation
Thoughts on Wisdom and Folly
13 Here is another bit of wisdom that has impressed me as I have watched the way our world works. 14 There was a small town with only a few people, and a great king came with his army and besieged it. 15 A poor, wise man knew how to save the town, and so it was rescued. But afterward no one thought to thank him. 16 So even though wisdom is better than strength, those who are wise will be despised if they are poor. What they say will not be appreciated for long.
17 Better to hear the quiet words of a wise person
than the shouts of a foolish king.
18 Better to have wisdom than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much that is good.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
