Ecclesiastes 11
1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.
Tanamlah uangmu dalam usaha di luar negeri. Pasti kaudapat untung di kemudian hari.
2 Divide your portion among seven, or even eight, for you do not know what disaster may befall the land.
Tanamlah modalmu di berbagai niaga; carilah usaha sebanyak-banyaknya. Sebab orang perlu waspada, sebelum musibah menimpa.
3 If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain upon the earth; whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
Ke arah mana pun pohon itu rubuh, tetap akan terbaring di tempat ia jatuh. Bila awan mengandung air hingga sarat, hujan pun turun ke bumi dengan lebat.
4 He who watches the wind will fail to sow, and he who observes the clouds will fail to reap.
Siapa menunggu sampai angin dan cuaca sempurna, tak akan menanam dan tidak pula memetik hasilnya.
5 As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
Allah membuat segala-galanya, dan manusia tak dapat memahami tindakan-Nya; begitu pula ia tak mengerti tumbuhnya kehidupan baru di dalam kandungan seorang ibu.
6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper.
Taburlah benihmu di waktu pagi dan janganlah berhenti di malam hari. Sebab kita tak tahu taburan mana yang baik tumbuhnya. Barangkali juga keduanya tumbuh dengan sempurna.
7 Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
Sinar matahari membuat bahagia; alangkah senangnya bila dapat menikmatinya.
8 So if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is futile.
Hendaklah engkau bersyukur kalau bertambah umur. Tapi ingat, biar engkau hidup lama di bumi, masamu di alam maut masih lebih lama lagi. Jadi, apa yang mau diharapkan pula? Semuanya percuma dan sia-sia.
9 Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
Nikmatilah masa mudamu, hai pemuda! Bergembiralah selama engkau masih remaja. Penuhilah segala hasrat jiwamu, laksanakanlah semua niat hatimu. Tetapi ingat, Allah yang ada di surga, kelak mengadili tindakanmu semua.
10 So banish sorrow from your heart, and cast off pain from your body, for youth and vigor are fleeting.
Usirlah khawatir dan susah dari hatimu, sebab masa mudamu cepat berlalu.
