Ecclesiastes 11
11
Boldly Face the Future
1Do good things everywhere you go.# Literally, “Throw your bread upon the water.”
After a while the good you do will return to help you.
2Invest what you have in several different businesses.
You don’t know what bad things might happen on earth.
3If clouds are full of rain,
they will pour water on the earth.
A tree can fall to the north or south.
But it will stay where it falls.
4If a person waits for perfect weather,
he will never plant his seeds.
And if he is afraid that every cloud will bring rain,
he will never harvest his crops.
5You don’t know where the wind will blow.
And you don’t know how a baby grows in its mother’s body.
In the same way, God certainly made all things.
But you can’t understand what he is doing.
6Begin planting early in the morning,
and don’t stop working until evening.
This is because you don’t know which things you do will succeed.
It is even possible that everything you do will succeed.
Serve God While You Are Young
7It is good to be alive
to enjoy the light of day.
8A person ought to enjoy every day of his life.
This is true no matter how long he lives.
But he should also remember this:
You will be dead much longer than you live.
After you are dead, you accomplish nothing.
9Young people, enjoy yourselves while you are young.
Be happy while you are young.
Do whatever your heart desires.
Do whatever you want to do.
But remember that God will judge you
for everything you do.
10So avoid sorrow and sadness.
Forget about all the bad things that happen to you.
This is because the joys of youth pass quickly away.
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Ecclesiastes 11
11
It Pays To Work Hard
1Be generous, and someday
you will be rewarded.#11.1 Be generous … rewarded: Or “Don't be afraid to invest. Someday it will pay off.”
2Share what you have
with seven or eight others,
because you never know
when disaster may strike.
3Rain clouds always bring rain;
trees always stay
wherever they fall.
4If you worry about the weather
and don't plant seeds,
you won't harvest a crop.
5No one can explain how a baby breathes before it is born.#11.5 how … born: Or “what makes the wind blow or how a baby grows inside its mother.” So how can anyone explain what God does? After all, God created everything.
6Plant your seeds early in the morning and keep working in the field until dark. Who knows? Your work might pay off, and your seeds might produce.
Youth and Old Age
7Nothing on earth is more beautiful than the morning sun. 8Even if you have a very long life, you should try to enjoy each day, because darkness will come and will last a long time. Nothing makes sense.#11.8 Nothing makes sense: Or “There's nothing to look forward to!”
9Be cheerful and enjoy life while you are young! Do what you want and find pleasure in what you see. But don't forget that God will judge you for everything you do.
10Rid yourself of all worry and pain, because the wonderful moments of youth quickly disappear.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.