Ecclesiastes 9:11–16
11 I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,o
nor does food come to the wisep
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chanceq happen to them all.r
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 timess
that fall unexpectedly upon them.t
13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdomu 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.v 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.w