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Ecclesiastes 9:16-18
New English Translation
Ecclesiastes 9:16-18
New English Translation
16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might,[a]
but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens[b] to his advice.[c]
Wisdom versus Fools, Sin, and Folly
17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet,
more than the shouting of a ruler is heard[d] among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much that is good.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:16 tn Or “power.”
- Ecclesiastes 9:16 tn The participle form נִשְׁמָעִים (nishmaʿim, Niphal participle masculine plural from שָׁמַע, [shamaʿ] “to listen”) is used verbally to emphasize a continual, durative, gnomic action.
- Ecclesiastes 9:16 tn Heb “his words are never listened to.”
- Ecclesiastes 9:17 tn The phrase “is heard” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness. Note its appearance in the previous line.
New English Translation (NET)
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