Boldly Face the Future
11 Do good wherever you go.[a] After a while, the good you do will come back to you.
2 Invest what you have in several different things.[b] You don’t know what bad things might happen on earth.
3 There are some things you can be sure of. If clouds are full of rain, they will pour water on the earth. If a tree falls—to the south or to the north—then it will stay where it falls.
4 But there are some things that you cannot be sure of. You must take a chance. If you wait for perfect weather, you will never plant your seeds. If you are afraid that every cloud will bring rain, you will never harvest your crops.
5 You don’t know where the wind blows. And you don’t know how a baby grows in its mother’s womb. In the same way, you don’t know what God will do—and he makes everything happen.
6 So begin planting early in the morning, and don’t stop working until evening. You don’t know what might make you rich. Maybe everything you do will be successful.
7 It is good to be alive. It is nice to see the light from the sun. 8 You should enjoy every day of your life, no matter how long you live. But remember that you will die, and you will be dead much longer than you were alive. And after you are dead, you cannot do anything.
Serve God While You Are Young
9 So young people, enjoy yourselves while you are young. Be happy. Do whatever your heart leads you to do. Do whatever you want, but remember that God will judge you for everything you do. 10 Don’t let your anger control you, and don’t let your body lead you to sin.[c] People do foolish things in the dawn of life while they are young.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 11:1 Do good … go Or “Throw your bread on the water.”
- Ecclesiastes 11:2 Invest … different things Or “Give a part to seven, or even eight.”
- Ecclesiastes 11:10 Don’t let … sin Or “Don’t worry about things. Protect yourself from troubles.”