Ecclesiastes 11
1 Cast thy bread-corn, upon the face of the waters, —for, after many days, shalt thou find it:
Send forth your bread on the face of the waters, For in the multitude of the days you find it.
2 Give a portion to seven, yea even to eight, —for thou canst not know, what there shall be of misfortune, upon the earth.
Give a portion to seven, and even to eight, For you do not know what evil is on the earth.
3 If the clouds be filled with a downpour, upon the earth, will they empty themselves, and, if a tree fall in the south or in the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there will it be found.
If the thick clouds are full of rain, On the earth they empty [themselves]; And if a tree falls in the south or to the north, The place where the tree falls, there it is.
4 He that observeth the wind, will not sow, —and, he that watcheth the clouds, will not reap.
Whoever is observing the wind does not sow, And whoever is looking on the thick clouds does not reap.
5 Just as thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, when the body is in the womb of her that is with child, even, so, canst thou not know the work of God, who maketh all.
As you do not know what [is] the way of the spirit, How—bones in the womb of the full one, So you do not know the work of God who makes the whole.
6 In the morning, sow thy seed, and, until evening, do not withhold thy hand, —for thou knowest not—whether shall thrive, either this or that, or whether, both alike, shall be fruitful.
In the morning sow your seed, And at evening do not withdraw your hand, For you do not know which is right, this or that, Or whether both of them alike [are] good.
7 Truly sweet is the light, —and, pleasant to the eyes, to see the sun:
Sweet also [is] the light, And good for the eyes to see the sun.
8 But, though, many years, a man live, through them all, let him rejoice; yet let him remember the days of darkness, for many they may be, all that cometh, may be vanity.
But if man lives many years, In all of them let him rejoice, And remember the days of darkness, For they are many! All that is coming [is] vanity.
9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart gladden thee in the days of thine early manhood, and walk thou—in the ways of thine own heart, and in that which is seen by thine own eyes, —yet know, that, for all these things, will God bring thee into judgment.
Rejoice, O young man, in your childhood, And let your heart gladden you in days of your youth, And walk in the ways of your heart, And in the sight of your eyes, And know that for all these, God brings you into judgment.
10 Therefore remove thou vexation from thy heart, and put away discomfort from thy flesh, —for, youth and dawn, are vanity!
And turn aside anger from your heart, And cause evil to pass from your flesh, For the childhood and the age [are] vanity!
