Ecclesiastes 9:14
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:
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.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- DARBY
- There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and encompassed it, and built great bulwarks against it:
- BLB
- A city [was] small, and few men in it; and a great king came against it, and he besieged it and built great siege ramps against it.
- ÅB
- Det var en liten by med få folk i; til den kom det en stor konge og kringsatte den og bygget store voller mot den;
- OTB
- Det var en liten by med få innbyggere, og en stor konge kom mot den, omringet den, og bygde store beleiringsverk mot den.
- B1930
- Det var en liten by med få folk i; til den kom det en stor konge og kringsatte den og bygget store voller mot den;
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
2 Samuel 20:15–22
And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.
Read in context2 Kings 6:24–7:20
And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
Read in context