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Ecclesiastes 9:13

Ecclesiastes 9:14-1953 kjv — There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built grea…

King James Version

14

There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:

15

Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

16

Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

17

The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

18

Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

— Ecclesiastes 9:14-1953, King James Version

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Ecclesiastes 9:14-1953 in Other Translations

6 versions All translations
  • ASV

    “There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroyeth much good. ”

  • WEB

    “There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.”

  • NET

    “There was once a small city with a few men in it, and a mighty king attacked it, besieging it and building strong siege works against it. However, a poor but wise man lived in the city, and he could have delivered the city by his wisdom, but no one listened to that poor man. So I concluded that wisdom is better than might, but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens to his advice. Wisdom versus Fools, Sin, and Folly The words of the wise are heard in quiet, more than the shouting of a ruler is heard among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is good.”

  • DRB

    “A little city, and few men in it: there came against it a great king, and invested it, and built bulwarks round about it, and the siege was perfect. Now there was found in it a man poor and wise, and he delivered the city by his wisdom, and no man afterward remembered that poor man. And I said that wisdom is better than strength: how then is the wisdom of the poor man slighted, and his words not heard? The words of the wise are heard in silence, more than the cry of a prince among fools. Better is wisdom, than weapons of war: and he that shall offend in one, shall lose many good things. ”

  • BBE

    “There was a little town and the number of its men was small, and there came a great king against it and made an attack on it, building works of war round about it. Now there was in the town a poor, wise man, and he, by his wisdom, kept the town safe. But no one had any memory of that same poor man. Then I said, Wisdom is better than strength, but the poor man's wisdom is not respected, and his words are not given a hearing. The words of the wise which come quietly to the ear are noted more than the cry of a ruler among the foolish. Wisdom is better than instruments of war, but one sinner is the destruction of much good.”

  • KJVA

    “There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good. ”

Ecclesiastes 9 — Context

11

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

12

For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

13

This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:

14

There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:

15

Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

16

Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

17

The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

18

Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

Ecclesiastes 9:14-1953 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does Ecclesiastes 9:14-1953 say?
Ecclesiastes 9:14-1953 in the King James Version reads: “There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good. ”
Where is Ecclesiastes 9:14-1953 in the Bible?
Ecclesiastes 9:14-1953 is found in the Old Testament, in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 9, verses 14–1953.
Who wrote Ecclesiastes?
Ecclesiastes is traditionally attributed to Solomon (traditional; identified as "the Preacher, son of David"). It was written c. 940 BC.
What is the book of Ecclesiastes about?
Ecclesiastes is a candid meditation on life "under the sun" — its pleasures, its pains, and its apparent vanity. The Preacher tries wisdom, wealth, work, and pleasure, finds them all empty without God, and concludes that fearing God and keeping his commandments is the whole of man.
What are the major themes of Ecclesiastes?
Ecclesiastes explores themes including Vanity, Time, Meaning, Fear of God, Mortality. These themes shape the meaning and context of Ecclesiastes 9:14-1953.
What translation should I read Ecclesiastes 9:14-1953 in?
Ecclesiastes 9:14-1953 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.
How can I memorize Ecclesiastes 9:14-1953?
Ecclesiastes 9:14-1953 reads (KJV): “There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good. ” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.
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