Ecclesiastes 9:13-18

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

¹⁴There 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.

¹⁵Now 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.

¹⁶Then I said, Wisdom is better than strength, but the poor man's wisdom is not respected, and his words are not given a hearing.

¹⁷The words of the wise which come quietly to the ear are noted more than the cry of a ruler among the foolish.

¹⁸Wisdom is better than instruments of war, but one sinner is the destruction of much good.