Ecclesiastes 11

1 Send forth thy bread on the face of the waters, For in the multitude of the days thou dost find it.

Send forth thy bread upon the face of the water: for thou shalt find it after many days.

2 Give a portion to seven, and even to eight, For thou knowest not what evil is on the earth.

Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil there shall be upon the earth.

3 If the thick clouds are full of rain, On the earth they empty [themselves]; And if a tree doth fall in the south or to the north, The place where the tree falleth, there it is.

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.

4 Whoso is observing the wind soweth not, And whoso is looking on the thick clouds reapeth not.

He that observes the wind sows not; and he that looks at the clouds will not reap.

5 As thou knowest not what [is] the way of the spirit, How — bones in the womb of the full one, So thou knowest not the work of God who maketh the whole.

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.

6 In the morning sow thy seed, And at even withdraw not thy hand, For thou knowest not which is right, this or that, Or whether both of them alike [are] good.

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.

7 Sweet also [is] the light, And good for the eyes to see the sun.

Moreover the light is sweet, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.

8 But, if man liveth 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.

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.

9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy childhood, And let thy heart gladden thee in days of thy youth, And walk in the ways of thy heart, And in the sight of thine eyes, And know thou that for all these, Doth God bring thee into judgment.

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.

10 And turn aside anger from thy heart, And cause evil to pass from thy flesh, For the childhood and the age [are] vanity!

Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for youth and folly are vanity.