Ecclesiastes 11

New King James Version

The Value of Diligence

11 Cast your bread ^(A)upon the waters,
^(B)For you will find it after many days.
²^(C)Give a serving ^(D)to seven, and also to eight,
^(E)For 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 ^(F)you do not know what is the way of the ^[a]wind,
^(G)Or 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 ^(H)to behold the sun;
⁸But if a man lives many years
And ^(I)rejoices in them all,
Yet let him ^(J)remember 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;
^(K)Walk in the ^[b]ways of your heart,
And ^[c]in the sight of your eyes;
But know that for all these
^(L)God will bring you into judgment.
¹⁰Therefore remove ^[d]sorrow from your heart,
And ^(M)put away evil from your flesh,
^(N)For childhood and ^[e]youth are vanity.