Old Testament

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Ecclesiastes 9:9-16 Contemporary English Version Anglicised (CEVUK00)

9. Life is short, and you love your wife, so enjoy being with her. This is what you are supposed to do as you struggle through life on this earth.

10. Work hard at whatever you do. You will soon go to the world of the dead, where no one works or thinks or reasons or knows anything.

11. Here is something else I have learnt:The fastest runnersand the greatest heroesdon't always win racesand battles.Wisdom, intelligence, and skilldon't always make you healthy,rich, or popular.We each have our shareof bad luck.

12. None of us know when we might fall victim to a sudden disaster and find ourselves like fish in a net or birds in a trap.

13. Once I saw what people really think of wisdom.

14. It happened when a powerful ruler surrounded and attacked a small city where only a few people lived. The enemy army was getting ready to break through the city walls.

15. But the city was saved by the wisdom of a poor person who was soon forgotten.

16. So I decided that wisdom is better than strength. Yet if you are poor, no one pays any attention to you, no matter how clever you are.

Read complete chapter Ecclesiastes 9