Jesus at the Feast of Booths

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because (A)the Jews[a] were seeking to kill him. Now (B)the Jews' Feast of (C)Booths was at hand. (D)So his brothers[b] said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, (E)show yourself to the world.” (F)For not even (G)his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, (H)“My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but (I)it hates me because I testify about it that (J)its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not[c] going up to this feast, for (K)my time has not yet fully come.” After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

10 But after (L)his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 (M)The Jews (N)were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much (O)muttering about him among the people. (P)While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, (Q)he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet (R)for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.

14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up (S)into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore (T)marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning,[d] when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, (U)“My teaching is not mine, but his (V)who sent me. 17 (W)If anyone's will is to do God's[e] will, (X)he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I (Y)am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority (Z)seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 (AA)Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. (AB)Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, (AC)“You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did (AD)one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 (AE)Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but (AF)from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, (AG)are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well? 24 (AH)Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Can This Be the Christ?

25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom (AI)they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, (AJ)speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that (AK)the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But (AL)we know (AM)where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, (AN)no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, (AO)as he taught in the temple, (AP)“You know me, and you know where I come from. But (AQ)I have not come of my own accord. (AR)He who sent me is true, (AS)and him you do not know. 29 (AT)I know him, for I come (AU)from him, and (AV)he sent me.” 30 (AW)So they were seeking to arrest him, but (AX)no one laid a hand on him, (AY)because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet (AZ)many of the people believed in him. They said, (BA)“When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd (BB)muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent (BC)officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, (BD)“I will be with you a little longer, and then (BE)I am going to him who sent me. 34 (BF)You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? (BG)Does he intend to go to (BH)the Dispersion among (BI)the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, (BJ)‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

Rivers of Living Water

37 (BK)On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, (BL)“If anyone thirsts, let him (BM)come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, (BN)as[f] the Scripture has said, (BO)‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of (BP)living water.’” 39 Now (BQ)this he said about the Spirit, (BR)whom those who believed in him were to receive, (BS)for as yet the Spirit had not been (BT)given, (BU)because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Division Among the People

40 When they heard these words, (BV)some of the people said, “This really is (BW)the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is (BX)the Christ.” But some said, (BY)“Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes (BZ)from the offspring of David, and comes (CA)from Bethlehem, the village (CB)where David was?” 43 So there was (CC)a division among the people over him. 44 (CD)Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

45 (CE)The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, (CF)“No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, (CG)“Have you also been deceived? 48 (CH)Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 (CI)Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 (CJ)“Does our law judge a man without first (CK)giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, (CL)“Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that (CM)no prophet arises from Galilee.”

[The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.][g]

The Woman Caught in Adultery

53 [[They went each to his own house,

Footnotes

  1. John 7:1 Or Judeans; Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time
  2. John 7:3 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 5, 10
  3. John 7:8 Some manuscripts add yet
  4. John 7:15 Or this man knows his letters
  5. John 7:17 Greek his
  6. John 7:38 Or let him come to me, and let him who believes in me drink. As
  7. John 7:53 Some manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11; others add the passage here or after 7:36 or after 21:25 or after Luke 21:38, with variations in the text

Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want[a] to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders(A) there were looking for a way to kill him.(B) But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles(C) was near, Jesus’ brothers(D) said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him.(E)

Therefore Jesus told them, “My time(F) is not yet here; for you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me(G) because I testify that its works are evil.(H) You go to the festival. I am not[b] going up to this festival, because my time(I) has not yet fully come.” After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

10 However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus(J) and asking, “Where is he?”

12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.”(K) 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.(L)

Jesus Teaches at the Festival

14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.(M) 15 The Jews(N) there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning(O) without having been taught?”(P)

16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.(Q) 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out(R) whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory,(S) but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law?(T) Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”(U)

20 “You are demon-possessed,”(V) the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle,(W) and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision(X) (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs),(Y) you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”(Z)

Division Over Who Jesus Is

25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?(AA) 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities(AB) really concluded that he is the Messiah?(AC) 27 But we know where this man is from;(AD) when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts,(AE) cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from.(AF) I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true.(AG) You do not know him, 29 but I know him(AH) because I am from him and he sent me.”(AI)

30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him,(AJ) because his hour had not yet come.(AK) 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him.(AL) They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs(AM) than this man?”

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time,(AN) and then I am going to the one who sent me.(AO) 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”(AP)

35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered(AQ) among the Greeks,(AR) and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”(AS)

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival,(AT) Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.(AU) 38 Whoever believes(AV) in me, as Scripture has said,(AW) rivers of living water(AX) will flow from within them.”[c](AY) 39 By this he meant the Spirit,(AZ) whom those who believed in him were later to receive.(BA) Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.(BB)

40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”(BC)

41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?(BD) 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants(BE) and from Bethlehem,(BF) the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided(BG) because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.(BH)

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,”(BI) the guards replied.

47 “You mean he has deceived you also?”(BJ) the Pharisees retorted. 48 “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?(BK) 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

50 Nicodemus,(BL) who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”(BM)


[The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53.]

53 Then they all went home,

Footnotes

  1. John 7:1 Some manuscripts not have authority
  2. John 7:8 Some manuscripts not yet
  3. John 7:38 Or me. And let anyone drink 38 who believes in me.” As Scripture has said, “Out of him (or them) will flow rivers of living water.”

The Indictment of the Lord

(A)Hear what the Lord says:
Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
    and let the hills hear your voice.
(B)Hear, you mountains, (C)the indictment of the Lord,
    and you enduring foundations of the earth,
for the Lord has an indictment against his people,
    and he will contend with Israel.

“O my people, (D)what have I done to you?
    (E)How have I wearied you? Answer me!
For (F)I brought you up from the land of Egypt
    and (G)redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses,
    Aaron, and (H)Miriam.
O my people, remember (I)what Balak king of Moab devised,
    and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from (J)Shittim to Gilgal,
    that you may know (K)the righteous acts of the Lord.”

What Does the Lord Require?

(L)“With what shall I come before the Lord,
    and bow myself before (M)God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
(N)Will the Lord be pleased with[a] thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
(O)Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and (P)what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,[b]
    and to (Q)walk humbly with your God?

Destruction of the Wicked

The voice of the Lord cries to the city—
    and it is sound wisdom to fear (R)your name:
“Hear of (S)the rod and of him who appointed it![c]
10     Can I forget any longer the treasures[d] of wickedness in the house of the wicked,
    and the scant measure that is accursed?
11 Shall I acquit the man (T)with wicked scales
    and with a bag of deceitful weights?
12 Your[e] rich men are (U)full of violence;
    your inhabitants (V)speak lies,
    and (W)their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow,
    (X)making you desolate because of your sins.
14 (Y)You shall eat, but not be satisfied,
    and there shall be hunger within you;
you shall put away, but not preserve,
    and what you preserve I will give to the sword.
15 (Z)You shall sow, but not reap;
    you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;
    you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.
16 For you have kept the statutes of (AA)Omri,[f]
    and all the works of the house of (AB)Ahab;
    and you have walked in their counsels,
that I may make you (AC)a desolation, and your[g] inhabitants (AD)a hissing;
    so you shall bear (AE)the scorn of my people.”

Wait for the God of Salvation

Woe is me! For I have become
    (AF)as when the summer fruit has been gathered,
    as when the grapes have been gleaned:
there is no cluster to eat,
    no (AG)first-ripe fig that my soul desires.
(AH)The godly has perished from the earth,
    and (AI)there is no one upright among mankind;
(AJ)they all lie in wait for blood,
    and (AK)each hunts the other with a net.
(AL)Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;
    (AM)the prince and (AN)the judge ask for a bribe,
and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;
    thus they weave it together.
The best of them is (AO)like a brier,
    the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of (AP)your watchmen, of your punishment, has come;
    (AQ)now their confusion is at hand.
(AR)Put no trust in a neighbor;
    have no confidence in a friend;
guard (AS)the doors of your mouth
    from her who lies in your arms;[h]
for (AT)the son treats the father with contempt,
    the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
    (AU)a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
    (AV)I will wait for the God of my salvation;
    my God will hear me.

(AW)Rejoice not over me, O (AX)my enemy;
    (AY)when I fall, I shall rise;
(AZ)when I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be a light to me.
(BA)I will bear the indignation of the Lord
    because I have sinned against him,
until (BB)he pleads my cause
    and executes judgment for me.
(BC)He will bring me out to the light;
    I shall look upon his vindication.
10 Then (BD)my enemy will see,
    and shame will cover her who (BE)said to me,
    “Where is the Lord your God?”
(BF)My eyes will look upon her;
    now she will be trampled down
    (BG)like the mire of the streets.

11 (BH)A day for the building of your walls!
    In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
12 In that day they[i] will come to you,
    (BI)from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt to (BJ)the River,[j]
    (BK)from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But (BL)the earth will be desolate
    because of its inhabitants,
    for the fruit of their deeds.

14 (BM)Shepherd your people (BN)with your staff,
    the flock of your inheritance,
who dwell alone in a forest
    (BO)in the midst of (BP)a garden land;[k]
let them graze in Bashan and Gilead
    as in the days of old.
15 (BQ)As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
    I will show them[l] marvelous things.
16 (BR)The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
(BS)they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
    their ears shall be deaf;
17 (BT)they shall lick the dust like a serpent,
    like the crawling things of the earth;
(BU)they shall come trembling out of their strongholds;
    (BV)they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God,
    and they shall be in fear of you.

God's Steadfast Love and Compassion

18 (BW)Who is a God like you, (BX)pardoning iniquity
    and passing over transgression
    (BY)for the remnant of his inheritance?
(BZ)He does not retain his anger forever,
    because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will (CA)again have compassion on us;
    (CB)he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
(CC)You will cast all our[m] sins
    into the depths of the sea.
20 (CD)You will show faithfulness to Jacob
    and steadfast love to Abraham,
(CE)as you have sworn to our fathers
    from the days of old.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:7 Or Will the Lord accept
  2. Micah 6:8 Or steadfast love
  3. Micah 6:9 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  4. Micah 6:10 Or Are there still treasures
  5. Micah 6:12 Hebrew whose
  6. Micah 6:16 Hebrew For the statutes of Omri are kept
  7. Micah 6:16 Hebrew its
  8. Micah 7:5 Hebrew bosom
  9. Micah 7:12 Hebrew he
  10. Micah 7:12 That is, the Euphrates
  11. Micah 7:14 Hebrew of Carmel
  12. Micah 7:15 Hebrew him
  13. Micah 7:19 Hebrew their

The Lord’s Case Against Israel

Listen to what the Lord says:

“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;(A)
    let the hills hear what you have to say.

“Hear,(B) you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;(C)
    listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case(D) against his people;
    he is lodging a charge(E) against Israel.

“My people, what have I done to you?
    How have I burdened(F) you?(G) Answer me.
I brought you up out of Egypt(H)
    and redeemed you from the land of slavery.(I)
I sent Moses(J) to lead you,
    also Aaron(K) and Miriam.(L)
My people, remember
    what Balak(M) king of Moab plotted
    and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim(N) to Gilgal,(O)
    that you may know the righteous acts(P) of the Lord.”

With what shall I come before(Q) the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?(R)
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,(S)
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?(T)
Shall I offer my firstborn(U) for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?(V)
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly(W) and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly[a](X) with your God.(Y)

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
    and to fear your name is wisdom—
    “Heed the rod(Z) and the One who appointed it.[b]
10 Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
    and the short ephah,[c] which is accursed?(AA)
11 Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,(AB)
    with a bag of false weights?(AC)
12 Your rich people are violent;(AD)
    your inhabitants are liars(AE)
    and their tongues speak deceitfully.(AF)
13 Therefore, I have begun to destroy(AG) you,
    to ruin[d] you because of your sins.
14 You will eat but not be satisfied;(AH)
    your stomach will still be empty.[e]
You will store up but save nothing,(AI)
    because what you save[f] I will give to the sword.
15 You will plant but not harvest;(AJ)
    you will press olives but not use the oil,
    you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.(AK)
16 You have observed the statutes of Omri(AL)
    and all the practices of Ahab’s(AM) house;
    you have followed their traditions.(AN)
Therefore I will give you over to ruin(AO)
    and your people to derision;
    you will bear the scorn(AP) of the nations.[g]

Israel’s Misery

What misery is mine!
I am like one who gathers summer fruit
    at the gleaning of the vineyard;
there is no cluster of grapes to eat,
    none of the early figs(AQ) that I crave.
The faithful have been swept from the land;(AR)
    not one(AS) upright person remains.
Everyone lies in wait(AT) to shed blood;(AU)
    they hunt each other(AV) with nets.(AW)
Both hands are skilled in doing evil;(AX)
    the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,(AY)
    the powerful dictate what they desire—
    they all conspire together.
The best of them is like a brier,(AZ)
    the most upright worse than a thorn(BA) hedge.
The day God visits you has come,
    the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
    Now is the time of your confusion.(BB)
Do not trust a neighbor;
    put no confidence in a friend.(BC)
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
    guard the words of your lips.
For a son dishonors his father,
    a daughter rises up against her mother,(BD)
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
    a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.(BE)

But as for me, I watch(BF) in hope(BG) for the Lord,
    I wait for God my Savior;
    my God will hear(BH) me.

Israel Will Rise

Do not gloat over me,(BI) my enemy!
    Though I have fallen, I will rise.(BJ)
Though I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be my light.(BK)
Because I have sinned against him,
    I will bear the Lord’s wrath,(BL)
until he pleads my case(BM)
    and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;(BN)
    I will see his righteousness.(BO)
10 Then my enemy will see it
    and will be covered with shame,(BP)
she who said to me,
    “Where is the Lord your God?”(BQ)
My eyes will see her downfall;(BR)
    even now she will be trampled(BS) underfoot
    like mire in the streets.

11 The day for building your walls(BT) will come,
    the day for extending your boundaries.
12 In that day people will come to you
    from Assyria(BU) and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates
    and from sea to sea
    and from mountain to mountain.(BV)
13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
    as the result of their deeds.(BW)

Prayer and Praise

14 Shepherd(BX) your people with your staff,(BY)
    the flock of your inheritance,
which lives by itself in a forest,
    in fertile pasturelands.[h](BZ)
Let them feed in Bashan(CA) and Gilead(CB)
    as in days long ago.(CC)

15 “As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
    I will show them my wonders.(CD)

16 Nations will see and be ashamed,(CE)
    deprived of all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths(CF)
    and their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick dust(CG) like a snake,
    like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling(CH) out of their dens;
    they will turn in fear(CI) to the Lord our God
    and will be afraid of you.
18 Who is a God(CJ) like you,
    who pardons sin(CK) and forgives(CL) the transgression
    of the remnant(CM) of his inheritance?(CN)
You do not stay angry(CO) forever
    but delight to show mercy.(CP)
19 You will again have compassion on us;
    you will tread our sins underfoot
    and hurl all our iniquities(CQ) into the depths of the sea.(CR)
20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
    and show love to Abraham,(CS)
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors(CT)
    in days long ago.(CU)

Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:8 Or prudently
  2. Micah 6:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
  3. Micah 6:10 An ephah was a dry measure.
  4. Micah 6:13 Or Therefore, I will make you ill and destroy you; / I will ruin
  5. Micah 6:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  6. Micah 6:14 Or You will press toward birth but not give birth, / and what you bring to birth
  7. Micah 6:16 Septuagint; Hebrew scorn due my people
  8. Micah 7:14 Or in the middle of Carmel

Cast Your Bread upon the Waters

11 (A)Cast your bread upon the waters,
    (B)for you will find it after many days.
(C)Give a portion to (D)seven, or even to eight,
    (E)for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
If the clouds are full of rain,
    they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
    in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
He who observes the wind will not sow,
    and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

As you do not know the way (F)the spirit comes to (G)the bones in the womb[a] of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

In the morning sow your seed, and at evening (H)withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to (I)see the sun.

So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember (J)that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is (K)vanity.[b]

(L)Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. (M)Walk in the ways of your heart and (N)the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things (O)God will bring you into judgment.

10 Remove vexation from your heart, and (P)put away pain[c] from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 11:5 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Targum; most Hebrew manuscripts As you do not know the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb
  2. Ecclesiastes 11:8 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath”; also verse 10 (see note on 1:2)
  3. Ecclesiastes 11:10 Or evil

Invest in Many Ventures

11 Ship(A) your grain across the sea;
    after many days you may receive a return.(B)
Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
    you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

If clouds are full of water,
    they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
    in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
    whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

As you do not know the path of the wind,(C)
    or how the body is formed[a] in a mother’s womb,(D)
so you cannot understand the work of God,
    the Maker of all things.

Sow your seed in the morning,
    and at evening let your hands not be idle,(E)
for you do not know which will succeed,
    whether this or that,
    or whether both will do equally well.

Remember Your Creator While Young

Light is sweet,
    and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.(F)
However many years anyone may live,
    let them enjoy them all.
But let them remember(G) the days of darkness,
    for there will be many.
    Everything to come is meaningless.

You who are young, be happy while you are young,
    and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
    and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
    God will bring you into judgment.(H)
10 So then, banish anxiety(I) from your heart
    and cast off the troubles of your body,
    for youth and vigor are meaningless.(J)

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 11:5 Or know how life (or the spirit) / enters the body being formed