¹⁹ Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

²² A wise man scales the city of the mighty, And brings down the strength of its confidence.

⁵ A wise man has great power; And a knowledgeable man increases strength;

¹³ I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.

¹⁴ There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.

¹⁵ Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

¹⁶ Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

¹⁷ The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules among fools.

¹⁸ Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.

⁹ For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don't cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

¹⁰ that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

¹¹ strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy;

¹⁶ Then cried a wise woman out of the city, "Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, 'Come near here, that I may speak with you.'"

¹⁷ He came near to her; and the woman said, Are you Joab? He answered, I am. Then she said to him, Hear the words of your handmaid. He answered, I do hear.

¹⁸ Then she spoke, saying, They were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask [counsel] at Abel: and so they ended [the matter].

¹⁹ I am of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel: you seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why will you swallow up the inheritance of Yahweh?

²⁰ Joab answered, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.

²¹ The matter is not so: but a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, even against David; deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. The woman said to Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.

²² Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. They cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. He blew the trumpet, and they were dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.