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Ecclesiastes 11
The Voice
Ecclesiastes 11
The Voice
11 Teacher: Don’t be afraid to release your bread upon the waters,
for in due time you will find it.
2 Divide your portion—put seven here, maybe eight there—
for you can never be sure when or where disaster will strike.
3 When the clouds are dark and heavy with rain,
showers will fall upon the earth.
When a tree falls—whether to the south or the north—
it will stay where it lands.
4 Those who watch and wait for favorable winds never plant,
and those who watch and fret over every cloud never harvest.
5 You can no more predict the path of the wind than you can explain how a child’s bones are formed in a mother’s womb. Even more, you will never understand the workings of the God who made all things.
6 Get up early to sow your seed,
and in the evening find worthwhile things to do,
For you never know which will profit you—
maybe this, maybe that, maybe both.
Hard work, not idleness, is at the heart of wisdom. Rewards come when we most need and least expect them.
7 Light is sweet;
one glimpse of the sun delights the eyes.
8 If a person lives many years, then he should learn to enjoy each and every one; but he should not forget the dark days ahead, for there will be plenty of them. All that is to come—whether bright days or dark—is fleeting. 9 Be happy, and celebrate all of the goodness of youth while you are young. Cultivate a cheerful heart every day you have youth. Go where your heart takes you. Take in the sights. Enjoy, but remember that God will hold us accountable for all that we do. 10 When all is said and done, clear your mind of all its worries. Free your body of all its troubles while you can, for youth and the prime of life will soon vanish.
Ecclesiastes 11
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 11
New International Version
Invest in Many Ventures
11 Ship(A) your grain across the sea;
after many days you may receive a return.(B)
2 Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
3 If clouds are full of water,
they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the path of the wind,(C)
or how the body is formed[a] in a mother’s womb,(D)
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,(E)
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.
Remember Your Creator While Young
7 Light is sweet,
and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.(F)
8 However many years anyone may live,
let them enjoy them all.
But let them remember(G) the days of darkness,
for there will be many.
Everything to come is meaningless.
9 You who are young, be happy while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you into judgment.(H)
10 So then, banish anxiety(I) from your heart
and cast off the troubles of your body,
for youth and vigor are meaningless.(J)
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 11:5 Or know how life (or the spirit) / enters the body being formed
The Voice (VOICE)
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
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