Ecclesiastes 9:13-15 in English

¹³ I have also seen wisdom under the sun on this wise, 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.

¹³ This I also saw to be wisdom under the sun, and it is great before me:

¹⁴ suppose there were a little city, and few men in it; and there should come against it a great king, and surround it, and build great mounds against it;

¹⁵ and should find in it a poor wise man, and he should save the city through his wisdom: yet no man would remember that poor man.

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.

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.

¹³ This I also saw to be wisdom under the sun, and it is great before me:

¹⁴ suppose there were a little city, and few men in it; and there should come against it a great king, and surround it, and build great mounds against it;

¹⁵ and should find in it a poor wise man, and he should save the city through his wisdom: yet no man would remember that poor man.

¹³ I have also seen wisdom under the sun on this wise, 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.

¹³ Once I saw something that a wise man did that impressed me.

¹⁴ There was a small town, where only a few people lived. The army of a great king came to that town and surrounded it. They built dirt ramps up against the walls in order to climb up and attack the town.

¹⁵ In that town there was a man who was poor but very wise. Because of doing what that man suggested, the town was saved; but people soon forgot about him.

¹³ This I also saw to be wisdom under the sun, and it is great before me:

¹⁴ suppose there were a little city, and few men in it; and there should come against it a great king, and surround it, and build great mounds against it;

¹⁵ and should find in it a poor wise man, and he should save the city through his wisdom: yet no man would remember that poor man.

¹³ I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.

¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ 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.

¹³ I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.

¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ 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.

¹³ I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.

¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ 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.

¹³ This again I have seen under the sun as wisdom and it seemed great to me.

¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ 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.

¹³ This also have I seen as wisdom under the sun, and it was great unto me.

¹⁴ 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:

¹⁵ and there was found in it a poor wise man, who by his wisdom delivered the city; but no man remembered that poor man.

¹³ This wisdom also I have seen under the sun, and it seemed to me to be very great:

¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ 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.

¹³ Here's another aspect of wisdom that impressed me about what happens here on earth.

¹⁴ Once there was a small town with only a few inhabitants. A powerful king came and besieged the town, building great earth ramps against its walls.

¹⁵ In that town lived a man who was wise, but poor. He saved the town by his wisdom. But no one remembered to thank that poor man.

¹³ I haue also seene this wisedome vnder the sunne, and it is great vnto me.

¹⁴ A litle citie and fewe men in it, and a great King came against it, and compassed it about, and builded fortes against it.

¹⁵ And there was founde therein a poore and wise man, and he deliuered the citie by his wisedome: but none remembred this poore man.

¹³ This also have I seen as wisdom 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 man poor and wise, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

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.

¹³ Also in this manner have I seen wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:

¹⁴ There was a little city, and the men therein were few; and there came against it a great king, who enclosed it, and built around it great works of siege;

¹⁵ But there was found in it a poor wise man, and he delivered the city by his wisdom; yet no man had thought of that same poor man.

¹³ This I also saw to be wisdom under the sun, And it is great before me:

¹⁴ Suppose there were a little city, and few men in it; And there should come against it a great king, and surround it, And build great mounds against it;

¹⁵ And should find in it a poor wise man, And he should save the city through his wisdom: Yet no man would remember that poor man.

¹³ This also have I seen; even wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me.

¹⁴ There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.

¹⁵ Now there was found within it a wise poor man; and he, by his wisdom, delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

¹³ I have also seen wisdom under the sun in a way that seemed great to me.

¹⁴ There was a small city with only a few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it and built great siege ramps against it.

¹⁵ Now in the city was found a poor, wise man, who by his wisdom saved the city. Yet later, no one remembered that same poor man.

¹³ I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.

¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ 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.

¹³ I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.

¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ 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.

¹³ This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed to me great:

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.

¹³ I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.

¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ 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.

¹³ I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.

¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ 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.

¹³ Also I saw this wisdom under the sun, and I proved it the most.

¹⁴ A little city, and few men therein; a great king came against it, and compassed it with pales, and he builded strongholds, either engines, by compass; and the besieging was made perfect.

¹⁵ And a poor man and a wise was found therein; and he delivered the city by his wisdom, and no man bethought afterward on that poor man.

¹³ Also I saw this wisdom under the sun, and I proved it the most.

¹⁴ A little city, and few men therein; a great king came against it, and compassed it with pales, and he builded strongholds, either engines, by compass; and the besieging was made perfect. (There was a small city, with only a few people in it; a great king came against it, and surrounded it with posts, and he built strongholds, or bulwarks, all around it; and so the siege was made perfect.)

¹⁵ And a poor man and a wise was found therein; and he delivered the city by his wisdom, and no man bethought afterward on that poor man. (And a poor but wise man was found there; and he saved the city by his wisdom, but afterward no one thought much about that poor man.)

¹³ This also I have seen: wisdom under the sun, and it is great to me.

¹⁴ A little city, and few men in it, and a great king hath come unto it, and hath surrounded it, and hath built against it great bulwarks;

¹⁵ and there hath been found in it a poor wise man, and he hath delivered the city by his wisdom, and men have not remembered that poor man!