Ecclesiastes 11
1 Cast thy bread-corn, upon the face of the waters, —for, after many days, shalt thou find it:
Mitte panem tuum super transeuntes aquas, quia post tempora multa invenies illum.
2 Give a portion to seven, yea even to eight, —for thou canst not know, what there shall be of misfortune, upon the earth.
Da partem septem necnon et octo, quia ignoras quid futurum sit mali super terram.
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.
Si repletæ fuerint nubes, imbrem super terram effundent. Si ceciderit lignum ad austrum aut ad aquilonem, in quocumque loco ceciderit, ibi erit.
4 He that observeth the wind, will not sow, —and, he that watcheth the clouds, will not reap.
Qui observat ventum non seminat; et qui considerat nubes numquam metet.
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.
Quomodo ignoras quæ sit via spiritus, et qua ratione compingantur ossa in ventre prægnantis, sic nescis opera Dei, qui fabricator est omnium.
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.
Mane semina semen tuum, et vespere ne cesset manus tua: quia nescis quid magis oriatur, hoc aut illud; et si utrumque simul, melius erit.
7 Truly sweet is the light, —and, pleasant to the eyes, to see the sun:
Dulce lumen, et delectabile est oculis videre solem.
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.
Si annis multis vixerit homo, et in his omnibus lætatus fuerit, meminisse debet tenebrosi temporis, et dierum multorum, qui cum venerint, vanitatis arguentur præterita.
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.
Lætare ergo, juvenis, in adolescentia tua, et in bono sit cor tuum in diebus juventutis tuæ: et ambula in viis cordis tui, et in intuitu oculorum tuorum, et scito quod pro omnibus his adducet te Deus in judicium.
10 Therefore remove thou vexation from thy heart, and put away discomfort from thy flesh, —for, youth and dawn, are vanity!
Aufer iram a corde tuo, et amove malitiam a carne tua: adolescentia enim et voluptas vana sunt.
