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Ecclesiastes 9:11
New English Translation
Ecclesiastes 9:11
New English Translation
Wisdom Cannot Protect against Seemingly Chance Events
11 Again,[a] I observed this on the earth:[b]
the race is not always[c] won by the swiftest,
the battle is not always won by the strongest;
prosperity[d] does not always belong to those who are the wisest,
wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning,
nor does success[e] always come to those with the most knowledge—
for time and chance may overcome[f] them all.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “I returned and.” In the Hebrew idiom, “to return and do” means “to do again.”
- Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “under the sun.”
- Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn The term “always” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation (five times in this verse) for clarity.
- Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “bread.”
- Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “favor.”
- Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “happen to.”
Ecclesiastes 9:11
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 9:11
New International Version
11 I have seen something else under the sun:
Ecclesiastes 9:11
King James Version
Ecclesiastes 9:11
King James Version
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.
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