Ecclesiastes 11:5–8

5 As you do not know the path of the wind,

or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,

so you cannot understand the work of God,

the Maker of all things.

6 Sow your seed in the morning,

and at evening let your hands not be idle,

for you do not know which will succeed,

whether this or that,

or whether both will do equally well.

7 Light is sweet,

and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

8 However many years anyone may live,

let them enjoy them all.

But let them remember the days of darkness,

for there will be many.

Everything to come is meaningless.

5 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

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

7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.

8 So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity.

5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. 6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either 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 But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.

5 Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.

6 Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.

7 Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning.

8 When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days. Everything still to come is meaningless.

5 You 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.

6 Plant early in the morning,

and work until evening,

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

They might both do well.

7 Sunshine is sweet;

it is good to see the light of day.

8 People 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.

5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the 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 Yea, if a man live many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.

5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, how the bones grow in the womb of her that is with child, even so thou knowest not the work of God who maketh 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 Now the light is sweet, and pleasant is it to the eyes to see the sun; 8 but if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all, yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many: all that cometh is vanity.

5 Just as you don’t know how the breath of life enters the limbs of a child within its mother’s womb, you also don’t understand how God, who made everything, works. 

6 Plant your seed in the morning, and don’t let your hands rest until evening. You don’t know whether this field or that field will be profitable or whether both of them will ⸤turn out⸥ equally well. 

7 Light is sweet, and it is good for one’s eyes to see the sun. 8 Even though people may live for many years, they should enjoy every one of them. But they should also remember there will be many dark days. Everything that is coming is pointless. 

5 Just as you don’t know the path of the wind,

or how bones develop in the womb of a pregnant woman,

so you don’t know the work of God who makes everything.

6 In the morning sow your seed,

and at evening do not let your hand rest,

because you don’t know which will succeed,

whether one or the other,

or if both of them will be equally good.

7 Light is sweet,

and it is pleasing for the eyes to see the sun.

8 Indeed, if a man lives many years,

let him rejoice in them all,

and let him remember the days of darkness, since they will be many.

All that comes is futile.

5 Just as you do not know how the breath comes to the bones in the mother’s womb, so you do not know the work of God, who makes everything.

6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening do not let your hands be idle, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.

8 Even those who live many years should rejoice in them all, yet let them remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity.

5 Just as you do not know how the path of the wind 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.

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!

5 You don’t know the path the wind takes.

You don’t know how a baby is made inside its mother.

So you can’t understand how God works either.

He made everything.

6 In the morning plant your seeds.

In the evening keep your hands busy.

You don’t know what will succeed.

It may be one or the other.

Or both might do equally well.

7 Light is sweet.

People enjoy being out in the sun.

8 No matter how many years a man might live,

let him enjoy all of them.

But let him remember the dark days.

There will be many of them.

Nothing that’s going to happen will have any meaning.

5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.

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

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

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