Ecclesiastes 11–12

Chapter 11

Cast Your Bread on the Waters

^1aCast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it ¹after many days.

^2aDivide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what ^bmisfortune may occur on the earth.

³If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it ¹lies.

⁴He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.

⁵Just as you do not ^aknow ¹the path of the wind and ^bhow bones are formed in the womb of the ²pregnant woman, so you do not ^cknow the activity of God who makes all things.

⁶Sow your seed ^ain the morning and do not ¹be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether ²morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.

⁷The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to ^asee the sun.

⁸Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him ^arejoice in them all, and let him remember the ^bdays of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.

⁹Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the ¹impulses of your heart and the ^2adesires of your eyes. Yet know that ^bGod will bring you to judgment for all these things.

¹⁰So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away ^1apain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.

Chapter 12

Remember God in Your Youth

^1aRemember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the ^bevil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”;

²before the ^asun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain;

³in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men ^astoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and ^bthose who look through ¹windows grow dim;

⁴and the doors on the street are shut as the ^asound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the ^bdaughters of song will ¹sing softly.

⁵Furthermore, ¹men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal ^ahome while ^bmourners go about in the street.

⁶Remember Him before the silver cord is ¹broken and the ^agolden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed;

⁷then the ^adust will return to the earth as it was, and the ^1bspirit will return to ^cGod who gave it.

⁸“^aVanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”

Purpose of the Preacher

⁹In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged ^amany proverbs.

¹⁰The Preacher sought to find ^adelightful words and to write ^bwords of truth correctly.

¹¹The ^awords of wise men are like ^bgoads, and masters of these collections are like ¹well-driven ^cnails; they are given by one Shepherd.

¹²But beyond this, my son, be warned: the ¹writing of ^amany books is endless, and excessive ^bdevotion to books is wearying to the body.

¹³The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: ^afear God and ^bkeep His commandments, because this applies to ^cevery person.

¹⁴For ^aGod will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.