Ecclesiastes 11
Lexham English Bible
Living in the Light of the Limits of Human Knowledge
11 Send out your bread on the water,
for in many days you will find it.
2 Divide your share in seven or in eight,
for you do not know what disaster will happen on the earth.
3 When the clouds are full,
they empty rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or whether it falls to the north,
the place where the tree falls—there it will be.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not sow;
whoever watches the clouds will not reap.
5 Just as you do not know how the path of the wind[a] goes,
nor how the bones of a fetus form in a mother’s womb,
so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and do not let your hands rest in the evening,
for you do not know what will prosper—
whether this or that, or whether both of them alike will succeed.
Enjoy Life to the Fullest within the Auspices of the Fear of God
7 The light is sweet,
and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.
8 For if a man lives many years,
let him rejoice in all of them!
Let him remember that the days of the darkness will be many—
all that is coming is vanity!
9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,
and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth!
Follow the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes—
but know that God will bring you into judgment for all these things.
10 Banish anxiety from your heart,
and put away pain from your body,
for youth and vigor are vanity.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 11:5 Or “the breath”
Ecclesiastes 11
American Standard Version
11 [a]Cast thy bread [b]upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days. 2 [c]Give a portion to seven, yea, even unto eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. 3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree fall [d]toward the south, or [e]toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be. 4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. 5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the [f]wind, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child; even so thou knowest not the work of God who doeth all. 6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. 7 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun. 8 [g]Yea, if a man live many years, let him rejoice in them all; [h]but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity. 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, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. 10 Therefore remove [i]sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 11:1 Or, Send forth
- Ecclesiastes 11:1 Hebrew upon the face of the waters.
- Ecclesiastes 11:2 Or, Divide a portion into seven, yea, even into eight
- Ecclesiastes 11:3 Or, in
- Ecclesiastes 11:3 Or, in
- Ecclesiastes 11:5 Or, spirit
- Ecclesiastes 11:8 Or, For
- Ecclesiastes 11:8 Or, and remember
- Ecclesiastes 11:10 Or, vexation. Or, provocation
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)