Ecclesiastes 11 WYC
Summary: The Preacher urges bold generosity and diversified effort despite uncertainty: "cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days" (v. 1), and give a portion to seven or even eight ventures, since one cannot know what disaster may come. Because the ways of God — like the path of the wind or the growth of bones in a pregnant womb — are unknowable, he counsels sowing seed morning and evening rather than watching the wind and never reaping. The chapter turns to address the young directly, urging them to let their heart cheer them and follow the desires of their eyes while remembering that God will bring them to judgment, and to put away vexation and pain, "for youth and the dawn of life are vanity" (v. 10).
1Sende thi breed on watris passynge forth, for aftir many tymes thou schalt fynde it.
2Yyue thou partis seuene, and also eiyte; for thou woost not, what yuel schal come on erthe.
3If cloudis ben filled, tho schulen schede out reyn on the erthe; if a tre fallith doun to the south, ether to the north, in what euer place it fallith doun, there it schal be.
4He that aspieth the wynd, sowith not; and he that biholdith the cloudis, schal neuere repe.
5As thou knowist not, which is the weye of the spirit, and bi what resoun boonys ben ioyned togidere in the wombe of a womman with childe, so thou knowist not the werkis of God, which is makere of alle thingis.
6Eerli sowe thi seed, and thin hond ceesse not in the euentid; for thou woost not, what schal come forth more, this ethir that; and if euer eithir cometh forth togidere, it schal be the betere.
7The liyt is sweet, and delitable to the iyen to se the sunne.
8If a man lyueth many yeeris, and is glad in alle these, he owith to haue mynde of derk tyme, and of many daies; and whanne tho schulen come, thingis passid schulen be repreued of vanyte.
9Therfor, thou yonge man, be glad in thi yongthe, and thin herte be in good in the daies of thi yongthe, and go thou in the weies of thin herte, and in the biholdyng of thin iyen; and wite thou, that for alle these thingis God shal brynge thee in to doom.
10Do thou awei ire fro thin herte, and remoue thou malice fro thi fleisch; for whi yongthe and lust ben veyne thingis.
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