Ecclesiastes November 2020

 

Hey y’all! I hope everyone is doing well and feeling great! This post covers the Ecclesiastes of the month which is chapter 11.  I will be sharing three different translations of this chapter; the Ampllified, Contemporary English Version, and New Living Translation. 

 

ECCLESIASTES 11

AMPLIFIED VERSION (AMP)

Cast Your Bread on the Waters

1Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, [be diligently active, make thoughtful decisions], for you will I.e. be richly rewarded.find it after many days. 2Give a portion to seven, or even [divide it] to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. 3If 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 it lies. 4He who watches the wind [waiting for all conditions to be perfect] will not sow [seed], and he who looks at the clouds will not reap [a harvest]. 5Just as you do not know the way and path of the wind or how the bones are formed in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.

6Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle with your hands in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening planting will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

7The light is sweet and pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. 8Yes, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. All that is to come will be futility.

9Rejoice, young man, in your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant in the days of your young manhood. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the desires of your eyes, but know that God will bring you into judgment for all these things. 10Therefore, remove sorrow and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, for childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.

 

 

CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION (CEV)

It Pays To Work Hard

1Be generous, and someday

you will be rewarded.11.1 Be generous … rewarded: Or “Don't be afraid to invest. Someday it will pay off.”

2Share what you have

with seven or eight others,

because you never know

when disaster may strike.

3Rain clouds always bring rain;

trees always stay

wherever they fall.

4If you worry about the weather

and don't plant seeds,

you won't harvest a crop.

5No one can explain how a baby breathes before it is born.11.5 how … born: Or “what makes the wind blow or how a baby grows inside its mother.” So how can anyone explain what God does? After all, God created everything.

6Plant your seeds early in the morning and keep working in the field until dark. Who knows? Your work might pay off, and your seeds might produce.

Youth and Old Age

7Nothing on earth is more beautiful than the morning sun. 8Even if you have a very long life, you should try to enjoy each day, because darkness will come and will last a long time. Nothing makes sense.11.8 Nothing makes sense: Or “There's nothing to look forward to!”

9Be cheerful and enjoy life while you are young! Do what you want and find pleasure in what you see. But don't forget that God will judge you for everything you do.

10Rid yourself of all worry and pain, because the wonderful moments of youth quickly disappear.

 

 

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT)

The Uncertainties of Life

1Send your grain across the seas,

and in time, profits will flow back to you.11:1 Or Give generously, / for your gifts will return to you later. Hebrew reads Throw your bread on the waters, / for after many days you will find it again.

2But divide your investments among many places,11:2 Hebrew among seven or even eight.

for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.

3When clouds are heavy, the rains come down.

Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls.

4Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.

If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.

5Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb,11:5 Some manuscripts read Just as you cannot understand how breath comes to a tiny baby in its mother’s womb. so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.

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

7Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning.

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.

9Young people,11:9 Hebrew Young man. 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. 10So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.

 

My main takeaways from this chapter are to be generous in giving, and not lazy.  I really like the ways that the CEV and NLT translations interpret or translate this chapter. 

 

As always, I hope that this brings you encouragement and inspiration.  Until my next post, much love, and may peace be with y’all…