Ecclesiastes 11:1-8 in English

¹ Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, yea, even unto eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

³ If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be.

⁴ He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

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.

¹ Send forth thy bread upon the face of the water: for thou shalt find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil there shall be upon the earth.

³ If the clouds be filled with rain, they pour it out upon the earth: and if a tree fall southward, or if it fall northward, in the place where the tree shall fall, there it shall be.

⁴ He that observes the wind sows not; and he that looks at the clouds will not reap.

⁵ Among whom none knows what is the way of the wind: as the bones are hid in the womb of a pregnant woman, so thou shalt not know the works of God, even all things whatsoever he shall do.

⁶ In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening let not thine hand be slack: for thou knowest not what sort shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether both shall be good alike.

⁷ Moreover the light is sweet, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ For even if a man should live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

¹ Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

³ If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.

⁴ He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

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.

¹ Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

³ If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.

⁴ He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

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.

¹ Send forth your bread upon the face of the water: for you shall find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for you know not what evil there shall be upon the earth.

³ If the clouds be filled with rain, they pour it out upon the earth: and if a tree fall southward, or if it fall northward, in the place where the tree shall fall, there it shall be.

⁴ He that observes the wind sows not; and he that looks at the clouds will not reap.

⁵ Among whom none knows what is the way of the wind: as the bones are hid in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you shall not know the works of God, even all things whatever he shall do.

⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening let not your hand be slack: for you know not what sort shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether both shall be good alike.

⁷ Moreover the light is sweet, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ For even if a man should live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

¹ Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, yea, even unto eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

³ If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if a tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be.

⁴ He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

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 thine 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.

¹ Give generously to others some of the money MET that you have; if you do that, later you will get back an equal amount.

² Share some of what you have with ◄seven or eight/several► others, because you do not know when you will experience a disaster, and if you give some of what you have to others, when you experience that disaster, they will kindly help you.

³ It is always true that when clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth. Similarly, wherever a tree falls on the ground, that is where it will remain.

⁴ If farmers see in what direction the wind is blowing, they will know whether it is wise at that time to plant things or not. It is also true that if farmers look at the clouds and see that they are blowing from the west, which means that it will probably rain, they will not try to harvest their crops on that day.

⁵ We do not know where the wind comes from or where it goes, and we do not know how bodies are formed in women's wombs. Similarly SIM, God is the one who made everything, and we cannot fully understand what God does.

⁶ Start planting your seeds in the morning, and do not stop planting them until the evening, because you do not know which ones will grow better, the ones you plant in the morning or the ones you plant later in the day, or whether both will grow well.

⁷ It is very delightful to be alive and see MTY the sun rise every morning.

⁸ Even if people live for many years, they should enjoy all of them. But they should not forget that some day they will die and then they will never be able to see any light again, and we do not know what will happen to us after we die.

¹ Send forth your bread upon the face of the water: for you shall find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for you know not what evil there shall be upon the earth.

³ If the clouds be filled with rain, they pour it out upon the earth: and if a tree fall southward, or if it fall northward, in the place where the tree shall fall, there it shall be.

⁴ He that observes the wind sows not; and he that looks at the clouds will not reap.

⁵ Amongst whom none knows what is the way of the wind: as the bones are hid in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you shall not know the works of God, even all things whatever he shall do.

⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening let not your hand be slack: for you know not what sort shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether both shall be good alike.

⁷ Moreover the light is sweet, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ For even if a man should live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

¹ Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don’t know what evil will be on the earth.

³ If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there shall it be.

⁴ He who observes the wind won’t sow; and he who regards the clouds won’t reap.

⁵ As you don’t know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you don’t know the work of God who does all.

⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.

⁷ Truly the light is sweet, and it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

¹ Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don’t know what evil will be on the earth.

³ If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there shall it be.

⁴ He who observes the wind won’t sow; and he who regards the clouds won’t reap.

⁵ As you don’t know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you don’t know the work of God who does all.

⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.

⁷ Truly the light is sweet, and it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

¹ Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don’t know what evil will be on the earth.

³ If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls towards the south, or towards the north, in the place where the tree falls, there shall it be.

⁴ He who observes the wind won’t sow; and he who regards the clouds won’t reap.

⁵ As you don’t know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you don’t know the work of God who does all.

⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.

⁷ Truly the light is sweet, and it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

¹ Put out your bread on the face of the waters; for after a long time it will come back to you again.

² Give a part to seven or even to eight, because you have no knowledge of the evil which will be on the earth.

³ If the clouds are full of rain, they send it down on the earth; and if a tree comes down to the south, or the north, in whatever place it comes down, there it will be.

⁴ He who is watching the wind will not get the seed planted, and he who is looking at the clouds will not get in the grain.

⁵ As you have no knowledge of the way of the wind, or of the growth of the bones in the body of her who is with child, even so you have no knowledge of the works of God who has made all.

⁶ In the morning put your seed into the earth, and till the evening let not your hand be at rest; because you are not certain which will do well, this or that — or if the two will be equally good.

⁷ Truly the light is sweet, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ But even if a man's life is long and he has joy in all his years, let him keep in mind the dark days, because they will be great in number. Whatever may come is to no purpose.

¹ Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

³ If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.

⁴ He that observeth the wind will not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds will not reap.

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.

¹ Cast thy bread upon the running waters: for after a long time thou shalt find it again.

² Give a portion to seven, and also to eight: for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

³ If the clouds be full, they will pour out rain upon the earth. If the tree fall to the south, or to the north, in what place soever it shall fall, there shall it be.

⁴ He that observeth the wind, shall not sow: and he that considereth the clouds, shall never reap.

⁵ As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones are joined together in the womb of her that is with child: so thou knowest not the works of God, who is the maker of all.

⁶ In the morning sow thy seed, and In the evening let not thy hand cease: for thou knowest not which may rather spring up, this or that: and if both together, it shall be the better.

⁷ The light is sweet, and it is delightful for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ If a man live many years, and have rejoiced in them all, he must remember the darksome time, and the many days: which when they shall come, the things past shall be accused of vanity.

¹ Send your bread out on the surface of the water, and many days later you will find it again.

² Share what you own with seven or eight people, for you never know what disaster could happen.

³ When the clouds are full they pour rain down upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the north or to the south, it stays where it fell.

⁴ The farmer who pays attention to the direction of the wind knows when not to sow, and by watching the clouds knows when not to reap.

⁵ Just as you don't know how the breath of life comes to the child in its mother's womb, so you can't understand the work of God, the Creator of everything.

⁶ In the morning, sow your seed. In the evening, don't stop. For you have no way of knowing which crop will grow well—one may be profitable, or the other—or maybe both.

⁷ How sweet it is to live in the light, to see the sun rise on another day.

⁸ May you live for many years, and may you enjoy them all. But remember there will many days of darkness, and all that is to come is uncertain.

¹ Cast thy bread vpon the waters: for after many daies thou shalt finde it.

² Giue a portion to seuen, and also to eight: for thou knowest not what euill shalbe vpon ye earth.

³ If the clouds be full, they wil powre forth raine vpon the earth: and if the tree doe fall toward the South, or toward the North, in the place that the tree falleth, there it shalbe.

⁴ He that obserueth ye winde, shall not sow, and he that regardeth the cloudes, shall not reape.

⁵ As thou knowest not which is ye way of the spirit, nor how the bones doe growe in the wombe of her that is with child: so thou knowest not the worke of God that worketh all.

⁶ In the morning sowe thy seede, and in the euening let not thine hand rest: for thou knowest not whither shall prosper, this or that, or whether both shalbe a like good.

⁷ Surely the light is a pleasant thing: and it is a good thing to the eyes to see the sunne.

⁸ Though a man liue many yeeres, and in them all he reioyce, yet hee shall remember the daies of darkenesse, because they are manie, all that commeth is vanitie.

¹ Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days.

² Divide a portion into seven, yea, even into eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

³ If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree fall in the south, or in the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be.

⁴ He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

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 things.

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 And the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.

⁸ For if a man live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.

¹ Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

³ If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.

⁴ He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

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.

¹ Cast thy bread upon the face of the waters; for after many days wilt thou find it again.

² Give a portion to seven, and also to eight: for thou knowest not what evil may come upon the earth.—

³ If the clouds be full of rain, they will empty it out upon the earth; and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, on the place where the tree falleth, there will it remain.

⁴ He that watcheth the wind will not sow; and he that gazeth on the clouds will not reap.

⁵ As thou knowest not which is the way of the wind, as little as what is enclosed in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou canst not know the works of God who maketh all.

⁶ In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening let not thy hand rest; for thou knowest not which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both of them will be alike good.

⁷ Truly the light is sweet, and it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to see the sun;

⁸ For if a man live even many years, let him rejoice in them all; and let him remember the days of darkness; for they will be many; all that cometh is vanity.

¹ Send forth thy bread upon the face of the water: For thou shalt find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; For thou knowest not what evil there shall be upon the earth.

³ If the clouds be filled with rain, They pour it out upon the earth: And if a tree fall southward, or if it fall northward, In the place where the tree shall fall, there it shall be.

⁴ He that observes the wind sows not; And he that looks at the clouds will not reap.

⁵ Among whom none knows what is the way of the wind: As the bones are hidden in the womb of a pregnant woman, So thou shalt not know the works of God, Even all things whatsoever he shall do.

⁶ In the morning sow thy seed, And in the evening let not thy hand be slack: For thou knowest not what sort shall prosper, whether this or that, Or whether both shall be good alike.

⁷ Moreover the light is sweet, And it is good for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ For even if a man should live many years, And rejoice in them all; Yet let him remember the days of darkness; For they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

¹ Cast thy bread upon the waters; for after many days thou shalt find it.

² Give a portion to seven, yea, to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

³ When the clouds are full of rain, they empty upon the earth; and when a tree falleth to the south or the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.

⁴ He that watcheth the wind will not sow, and he that gazeth upon the clouds will not reap.

⁵ As thou knowest not the way of the wind, nor how the bones are formed in the womb of her that is with child, so thou canst not know the work of God, who doeth all things.

⁶ In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand! For thou knowest not whether this shall prosper, or that, or whether both of them 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, though a man live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him think of the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.

¹ Send out your bread on the waters, for you will find it again after many days.

² Share it with seven, even eight people, for you do not know what disasters are coming on the earth.

³ If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it will remain.

⁴ Anyone who watches the wind might not plant, and anyone who watches the clouds might not harvest.

⁵ As you do not know the path of the wind, nor how a baby's bones grow in the pregnant womb, so also you cannot comprehend the work of God, who created everything.

⁶ In the morning plant your seed; until the evening, work with your hands as needed, for you know not which will prosper, whether morning or evening, or this or that, or whether they will both alike be good.

⁷ Truly the light is sweet, and it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ If someone lives many years, let him be happy in all of them, but let him think about the coming days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is vanishing vapor.

¹ Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don’t know what evil will be on the earth.

³ If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there shall it be.

⁴ He who observes the wind won’t sow; and he who regards the clouds won’t reap.

⁵ As you don’t know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you don’t know the work of God who does all.

⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.

⁷ Truly the light is sweet, and it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

¹ Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don’t know what evil will be on the earth.

³ If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls towards the south, or towards the north, in the place where the tree falls, there shall it be.

⁴ He who observes the wind won’t sow; and he who regards the clouds won’t reap.

⁵ As you don’t know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you don’t know the work of God who does all.

⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.

⁷ Truly the light is sweet, and it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

¹ Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

³ If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree falleth towards the south, or towards the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.

⁴ He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

⁵ As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor the structure of the parts of conception in 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 thy 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 shall 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.

¹ Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don’t know what evil will be on the earth.

³ If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there shall it be.

⁴ He who observes the wind won’t sow; and he who regards the clouds won’t reap.

⁵ As you don’t know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you don’t know the work of God who does all.

⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.

⁷ Truly the light is sweet, and it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

¹ Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days.

² Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don’t know what evil will be on the earth.

³ If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls towards the south, or towards the north, in the place where the tree falls, there shall it be.

⁴ He who observes the wind won’t sow; and he who regards the clouds won’t reap.

⁵ As you don’t know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you don’t know the work of God who does all.

⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.

⁷ Truly the light is sweet, and it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

¹ Send thy bread up on waters passing forth, for after many times thou shalt find it.

² Give thou parts seven, and also eight; for thou knowest not, what evil shall come up on earth.

³ If clouds be filled, they shall shed or pour out rain on the earth; if a tree falleth down to the south, either to the north, in whatever place it falleth down, there it shall be.

⁴ He that espieth the wind, soweth not; and he that beholdeth the clouds, shall never reap.

⁵ As thou knowest not, which is the way of the spirit, and by what reason bones be joined together in the womb of a woman with child, so thou knowest not the works of God, which is maker of all things.

⁶ Early sow thy seed, and thine hand cease not in the eventide; for thou knowest not, what shall come forth more, this either that; and if ever either come forth together, it shall be the better.

⁷ The light is sweet, and delightable to the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ If a man liveth many years, and is glad in all these, he oweth to have mind of the dark time, and of many days; and when those shall come, the things passed shall be reproved of vanity.

¹ Send thy bread up on waters passing forth, for after many times thou shalt find it. (Send thy bread upon the water, and after a time, thou shalt receive it back, and more along with it.)

² Give thou (thy) parts (to) seven, and also (to) eight, (that is, put not all thy eggs in one basket); for thou knowest not, what evil shall come up on (the) earth.

³ If clouds be filled, they shall shed out rain on the earth; if a tree falleth down to the south, either to the north, in whatever place it falleth down, there it shall be.

⁴ He that espieth the wind, soweth not; and he that beholdeth the clouds, shall never reap. (He who looketh for the wind, soweth not; and he who watcheth the clouds, shall never reap, or bring in the harvest.)

⁵ As thou knowest not, which is the way of the spirit, and by what reason bones be joined together in the womb of a woman with child, so thou knowest not the works of God, which is maker of all things (or who is the Maker of all things).

⁶ Early sow thy seed, and thine hand cease not in the eventide; for thou knowest not, what shall come forth more, this either that; and if ever either come forth together, it shall be the better. (Sow thy seed early, and do not stop thy work in the evening or and do not stop thy work until the evening; for thou knowest not, what shall come forth more, this or that; or if both will come forth together, and it shall be the better.)

⁷ The light is sweet, and delightable to the eyes to see the sun. (The light is sweet, and it is delightful, or pleasant, for thine eyes to see the sun.)

⁸ If a man liveth many years, and is glad in all these, he oughteth to have mind of the dark time, and of (those) many days (yet to come); and when those shall come, the things passed (away) shall be reproved of vanity. (If a person liveth many years, and is happy in all of them, he still ought to remember the dark time, and the many days yet to come; and when they do come, the things passed away shall be rebuked as but empty and futile.)

¹ Send forth thy bread on the face of the waters, For in the multitude of the days thou dost find it.

² Give a portion to seven, and even to eight, For thou knowest not what evil is on the earth.

³ If the thick clouds are full of rain, On the earth they empty themselves; And if a tree doth fall in the south or to the north, The place where the tree falleth, there it is.

⁴ Whoso is observing the wind soweth not, And whoso is looking on the thick clouds reapeth not.

⁵ As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, How — bones in the womb of the full one, So thou knowest not the work of God who maketh the whole.

⁶ In the morning sow thy seed, And at even withdraw not thy hand, For thou knowest not which is right, this or that, Or whether both of them alike are good.

⁷ Sweet also is the light, And good for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ But, if man liveth many years, In all of them let him rejoice, And remember the days of darkness, For they are many! all that is coming is vanity.