11
1 Cast thy lechem upon the waters,
for thou shalt find it after many yamim.
2 Give chelek (portions) to shivah, and also to shmonah;
for thou knowest not what ra'ah shall be upon ha'aretz.
3 If the clouds be full of geshem,
they empty themselves upon ha'aretz;
and if the etz fall toward the darom (south), or toward the tzafon (north),
in the makom (place) where the etz falleth, there it lieth.
4 He that observeth the ruach (wind) shall not sow;
and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
5 As thou knowest not what is the derech haruach,* nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child; even so thou knowest not the ma'asei HaElohim who maketh all.
6 In the boker sow thy zera, and in the erev do not let thine hand be idle; for thou knowest not which shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike tovim.
7 Truly the ohr is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eynayim to behold the shemesh;
8 But if haAdam live many shanim, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the yamim of choshech; for they shall be many. All that cometh is hevel.
9 Rejoice, O bochur, in thy yaldut (youth); and let thy lev cheer thee in the yamim of thy bechurim (youth), and walk in the ways of thine lev, and in the sight of thine eynayim; but have da'as of this; that for all these things HaElohim will bring thee into mishpat.
10 Therefore banish ka'as (sorrow) from thy lev, and put away ra'ah from thy basar; for yaldut and shacharut (prime of life) are hevel.
* 11:5 See Yn 3:3-8