Ecclesiastes 11–12

Boldly Face the Future

11Invest what you have,

because after a while you will get a return.

²Invest what you have in several different businesses,

because you don’t know what disasters might happen.

³If clouds are full of rain,

they will shower on the earth.

A tree can fall to the north or south,

but it will stay where it falls.

⁴Those who wait for perfect weather

will never plant seeds;

those who look at every cloud

will never harvest crops.

⁵You don’t know where the wind will blow,

and you don’t know how a baby grows inside the mother.

In the same way, you don’t know what God is doing,

or how he created everything.

⁶Plant early in the morning,

and work until evening,

because you don’t know if this or that will succeed.

They might both do well.

Serve God While You Are Young

⁷Sunshine is sweet;

it is good to see the light of day.

⁸People ought to enjoy every day of their lives,

no matter how long they live.

But they should also remember this:

You will be dead a long time.

Everything that happens then is useless.

⁹Young people, enjoy yourselves while you are young;

be happy while you are young.

Do whatever your heart desires,

whatever you want to do.

But remember that God will judge you

for everything you do.

¹⁰Don’t worry,

and forget the troubles of your body,

because youth and childhood are useless.

The Problems of Old Age

12Remember your Creator

while you are young,

before the days of trouble come

and the years when you say,

“I find no pleasure in them.”

²When you get old,

the light from the sun, moon, and stars will grow dark;

the rain clouds will never seem to go away.

³At that time your arms will shake

and your legs will become weak.

Your teeth will fall out so you cannot chew,

and your eyes will not see clearly.

⁴Your ears will be deaf to the noise in the streets,

and you will barely hear the millstone grinding grain.

You’ll wake up when a bird starts singing,

but you will barely hear singing.

⁵You will fear high places

and will be afraid to go for a walk.

Your hair will become white like the flowers on an almond tree.

You will limp along like a grasshopper when you walk.

Your appetite will be gone.

Then you will go to your everlasting home,

and people will go to your funeral.

⁶Soon your life will snap like a silver chain

or break like a golden bowl.

You will be like a broken pitcher at a spring,

or a broken wheel at a well.

⁷You will turn back into the dust of the earth again,

but your spirit will return to God who gave it.

⁸Everything is useless!

The Teacher says that everything is useless.

Conclusion: Honor God

⁹The Teacher was very wise and taught the people what he knew. He very carefully thought about, studied, and set in order many wise teachings. ¹⁰The Teacher looked for just the right words to write what is dependable and true.

¹¹Words from wise people are like sharp sticks used to guide animals. They are like nails that have been driven in firmly. Altogether they are wise teachings that come from one Shepherd. ¹²So be careful, my son, about other teachings. People are always writing books, and too much study will make you tired.

¹³Now, everything has been heard,

so I give my final advice:

Honor God and obey his commands,

because this is all people must do.

¹⁴God will judge everything,

even what is done in secret,

the good and the evil.