Ecclesiastes 11

The Value of Diligence

11Cast your bread ^aupon the waters,

^bFor you will find it after many days.

^2cGive a serving ^dto seven, and also to eight,

^eFor you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

³If the clouds are full of rain,

They empty themselves upon the earth;

And if a tree falls to the south or the north,

In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.

⁴He who observes the wind will not sow,

And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

⁵As ^fyou do not know what is the way of the ¹wind,

^gOr how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,

So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.

⁶In the morning sow your seed,

And in the evening do not withhold your hand;

For you do not know which will prosper,

Either this or that,

Or whether both alike will be good.

⁷Truly the light is sweet,

And it is pleasant for the eyes ^hto behold the sun;

⁸But if a man lives many years

And ⁱrejoices in them all,

Yet let him ^jremember the days of darkness,

For they will be many.

All that is coming is vanity.

Seek God in Early Life

⁹Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,

And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;

^kWalk in the ²ways of your heart,

And ³in the sight of your eyes;

But know that for all these

^lGod will bring you into judgment.

¹⁰Therefore remove ⁴sorrow from your heart,

And ^mput away evil from your flesh,

ⁿFor childhood and ⁵youth are vanity.