Catholic Public Domain Version
"And so, I declared that wisdom is better than strength. But how is it, then, that the wisdom of the poor man is treated with contempt, and his words are not heeded? "
— Ecclesiastes 9:16, Catholic Public Domain Version
“Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.”
“Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. ”
“Then I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.”
“So I concluded that wisdom is better than might, but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens to his advice.”
“And I said that wisdom is better than strength: how then is the wisdom of the poor man slighted, and his words not heard?”
“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.”
“Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.”
This wisdom, likewise, I have seen under the sun, and I have examined it intensely.
There was a small city, with a few men in it. There came against it a great king, who surrounded it, and built fortifications all around it, and the blockade was completed.
And there was found within it, a poor and wise man, and he freed the city through his wisdom, and nothing was recorded afterward of that poor man.
And so, I declared that wisdom is better than strength. But how is it, then, that the wisdom of the poor man is treated with contempt, and his words are not heeded?
The words of the wise are heard in silence, more so than the outcry of a prince among the foolish.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war. And whoever offends in one thing, shall lose many good things.