Ecclesiastes9:17

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Translation

The quiet words

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of the wise should be heard [rather] than the shouting of a ruler of fools.

Paraphrase

Even if they are unassuming, seem weak or have no hype or flare, the words of a wise person should be heeded instead of the

loud, in-your-face ranting of someone whose only followers are fools.

Footnotes

1

In the example given earlier, the wise man’s words were proven to be wise because he rescued an entire city, but after the danger was passed, the people disparaged him and his counsel because he was poor. The implication is that if the continuing counsel had come from a wealthy or famous person, it would have been well received.