The Holy Bible: Revised Common Version

1  Cast your bread upon the waters,/
for you shall find it after many days.

2  Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,/
for you do not know 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 falls toward the south or toward the north,/
in the place where the tree falls, there it shall be.

4  He who observes the wind shall not sow,/
and he who regards the clouds shall not reap.

5  As you do not know what is the way of the spirit,/
nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,/
even so you do not know the works of God who makes all.

6  In the morning sow your seed,/
and in the evening do not withhold your hand,/
for you do not know which 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 lives many years/
and rejoices in them all,/
yet let him remember the days of darkness,/
for they shall be many./
All that comes is vanity.

9  Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,/
and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth./
Walk in the ways of your heart/
and in the sight of your eyes./
But know that for all these things/
God will bring you into judgment.

10 Therefore, remove sorrow from your heart/
and put away evil from your flesh,/
for childhood and youth are vanity.