| King James Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. | 1Spread your bread on the water— after a while you will find it. |
| 2Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon 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 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. | 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 that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. | 4Whoever keeps staring at the wind won't sow; whoever daydreams won't reap. |
| 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 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 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. | 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 a pleasant thing it is 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 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. | 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 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. | 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 thy heart, and put away evil from thy 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. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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