Ecclesiastes 9:11

New Living Translation

I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.

Cross References

2 Samuel 17:14

Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “Hushai’s advice is better than Ahithophel’s.” For the Lord had determined to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which really was the better plan, so that he could bring disaster on Absalom!

2 Samuel 17:23

When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey, went to his hometown, set his affairs in order, and hanged himself. He died there and was buried in the family tomb.

2 Chronicles 20:15

He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

Job 34:29

But if he chooses to remain quiet, who can criticize him? When he hides his face, no one can find him, whether an individual or a nation.

Psalm 76:5

Our boldest enemies have been plundered. They lie before us in the sleep of death. No warrior could lift a hand against us.

Proverbs 1:5

Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance

Ecclesiastes 2:12

So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?).

Ecclesiastes 3:14

And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him.

Ecclesiastes 3:17

I said to myself, “In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds.”

Ecclesiastes 4:1

Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless.

Ecclesiastes 4:4

Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 7:13

Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked?

Ecclesiastes 9:2

The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad, ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same treatment as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don’t.

Ecclesiastes 9:3

It seems so wrong that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. Already twisted by evil, people choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway.

Jeremiah 46:6

“The swiftest runners cannot flee; the mightiest warriors cannot escape. By the Euphrates River to the north, they stumble and fall.

Jeremiah 48:14

“You used to boast, ‘We are heroes, mighty men of war.’

Jeremiah 9:23

This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches.

Daniel 4:35

All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’

Zechariah 4:6

Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Malachi 3:18

Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

Ephesians 1:11

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

Deuteronomy 8:17

He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’

Deuteronomy 8:18

Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

1 Samuel 17:50

So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword.

1 Samuel 6:9

If they cross the border of our land and go to Beth-shemesh, we will know it was the Lord who brought this great disaster upon us. If they don’t, we will know it was not his hand that caused the plague. It came simply by chance.”