A moment in scripture
Ecclesiastes 9:12
For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
The surrounding passage
- Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
- Ecclesiastes 9:11
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
- Ecclesiastes 9:13
This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:
- Ecclesiastes 9:14
There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:
Scripture: King James Version (KJV), English, 66-book canon. The quotation retains the wording and numbering of our source corpus.