11:1 Cast your bread on the waters;
For you shall find it after many days.
11:2 Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight;
For you don't know what evil will be on the earth.
11:3 If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth;
And if a tree falls toward the south, or toward the north,
In the place where the tree falls, there shall it be.
11:4 He who observes the wind won't sow;
And he who regards the clouds won't reap.
11:5 As you don't know what is the way of the wind,
Nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child;
Even so you don't know the work of God who does all.
11:6 In the morning sow your seed,
And in the evening don't withhold your hand;
For you don't know which will prosper, whether this or that,
Or whether they both will be equally good.
11:7 Truly the light is sweet,
And a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to see the sun.
11:8 Yes, if a man lives many years, let him
rejoice in them all;
But let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many.
All that comes is vanity.
11:9 Rejoice, young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of
your youth, And 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. 11:10 Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, And put away evil from your flesh; For youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Paraphrase
Many things you can't do anything about. So don't worry about those things.
Diligently sow your seed day and night. But don't get overly concerned
about imagined future distasters coming that you would withhold your generosity
from others. Rather give generously and you will be recompensed eventually.
Enjoy life, but don't expect your life to be a bed of roses. Follow your
heart, but realize that God will call you to account for everything you've
done. Don't worry about getting old. There are things that are simply inevitable
for all of us.