Ecclesiastes 11
1 Send forth thy bread upon the face of the water: for thou shalt find it after many days.
Tanamlah uangmu dalam usaha di luar negeri. Pasti kaudapat untung di kemudian hari.
2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil there shall be upon the earth.
Tanamlah modalmu di berbagai niaga; carilah usaha sebanyak-banyaknya. Sebab orang perlu waspada, sebelum musibah menimpa.
3 If the clouds be filled with rain, they pour [it] out upon the earth: and if a tree fall southward, or if it fall northward, in the place where the tree shall fall, there it shall be.
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 that observes the wind sows not; and he that looks at the clouds will not reap.
Siapa menunggu sampai angin dan cuaca sempurna, tak akan menanam dan tidak pula memetik hasilnya.
5 Among whom none knows what is the way of the wind: as the bones [are hid] in the womb of a pregnant [woman], so thou shalt not know the works of God, [even] all things whatsoever he shall do.
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 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening let not thine hand be slack: for thou knowest not what sort shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether both shall be good alike.
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 Moreover the light is sweet, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.
Sinar matahari membuat bahagia; alangkah senangnya bila dapat menikmatinya.
8 For even if a man should live many years, [and] rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.
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, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart blameless, but not in the sight of thine eyes: yet know that for all these things God will bring thee into 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 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for youth and folly are vanity.
Usirlah khawatir dan susah dari hatimu, sebab masa mudamu cepat berlalu.
