| King James Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. | 1Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you. |
| 2Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. | 2But divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead. |
| 3If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. | 3When clouds are heavy, the rains come down. Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls. |
| 4He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. | 4Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. |
| 5As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. | 5Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. |
| 6In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. | 6Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both. Advice for Young and Old |
| 7Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun: | 7Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning. |
| 8But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity. | 8When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days. Everything still to come is meaningless. |
| 9Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. | 9Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. |
| 10Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity. | 10So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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