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Ecclesiastes 9:11-13
GOD’S WORD Translation
Ecclesiastes 9:11-13
GOD’S WORD Translation
Time and Unpredictable Events
11 I saw something else under the sun. The race isn’t ⌞won⌟ by fast runners, or the battle by heroes. Wise people don’t necessarily have food. Intelligent people don’t necessarily have riches, and skilled people don’t necessarily receive special treatment. But time and unpredictable events overtake all of them. 12 No one knows when his time will come. Like fish that are caught in a cruel net or birds caught in a snare, humans are trapped by a disaster when it suddenly strikes them.
Wisdom Is Despised
13 I also have seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it made a deep impression on me.
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Ecclesiastes 9:11-13
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 9:11-13
New International Version
11 I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,(A)
nor does food come to the wise(B)
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance(C) happen to them all.(D)
12 Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:
As fish are caught in a cruel net,
or birds are taken in a snare,
so people are trapped by evil times(E)
that fall unexpectedly upon them.(F)
Wisdom Better Than Folly
13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom(G) that greatly impressed me:
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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