| New King James Version | International Standard Version |
| 1Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days. | 1Spread your bread on the water— after a while you will find it. |
| 2Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth. | 2Apportion what you have into seven, or even eight parts, because you don't know what disaster might befall the land. |
| 3If the clouds are full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. | 3If the clouds are full of rain, they will pour out on the earth; if a tree falls toward the south or the north, wherever it falls, there it will lay. |
| 4He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap. | 4Whoever keeps staring at the wind won't sow; whoever daydreams won't reap. |
| 5As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything. | 5Just as you do not understand the way of the spirit in the womb of a pregnant mother, so also you do not know what God is doing in everything he makes. |
| 6In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good. | 6Sow your seed in the morning, and don't stop working until evening, since you don't know which of your endeavors will do well, whether this one or that, or even if both will do equally well. |
| 7Truly the light is sweet, And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun; | 7How sweet is the daylight, and how pleasant it is for someone's eyes to behold the sunshine! |
| 8But if a man lives many years And rejoices in them all, Yet let him remember the days of darkness, For they will be many. All that is coming is vanity. | 8Even if a person lives many years, let him enjoy them all, recalling that there will be many days of darkness to come—all of which are pointless. |
| 9Rejoice, 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 God will bring you into judgment. | 9So enjoy yourself in your youth, young man, and be encouraged during your younger days. Live as you like, consistent with your world view, but keep in mind that God will bring you to account for everything. |
| 10Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, And put away evil from your flesh, For childhood and youth are vanity. | 10Banish sorrow from your heart, and evil from your body, since both childhood and the prime of life are pointless. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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