Do Many Things to Succeed
1Sell your grain in the market overseas.
After a while you might earn something from it.
2Try to succeed by doing many things.
After all, you don’t know what great trouble might come on the land.
3Clouds that are full of water
pour rain down on the earth.
A tree might fall to the south or the north.
It will stay in the place where it falls.
4Anyone who keeps on watching the wind won’t plant seeds.
Anyone who keeps looking at the clouds won’t gather crops.
5You don’t know the path the wind takes.
You don’t know how a baby is made inside its mother.
So you can’t understand how God works either.
He made everything.
6In the morning plant your seeds.
In the evening keep your hands busy.
You don’t know what will succeed.
It may be one or the other.
Or both might do equally well.
Remember Your Creator While You Are Young
7Light is sweet.
People enjoy being out in the sun.
8No matter how many years anyone might live,
let them enjoy all of them.
But let them remember the dark days.
There will be many of those.
Nothing that’s going to happen will have any meaning.
9You young people, be happy while you are still young.
Let your heart be joyful while you are still strong.
Do what your heart tells you to do.
Go after what your eyes look at.
But I want you to know
that God will judge you for everything you do.
10So drive worry out of your heart.
Get rid of all your troubles.
Being young and strong doesn’t have any meaning.
1當慷慨施捨11·1 「當慷慨施捨」或譯「當把你的資財投入海外貿易」。,
因為日後必有收穫。
2當把你的資財分給多人,
因為你不知道日後會有什麼災難臨到世上。
3雲中滿了水,就會下雨。
樹不論倒向南或倒向北,
倒在哪裡就躺在哪裡。
4你若等待完美的天氣,
必無法撒種,無法收割。
5正如你不知道風的路線,不知道骨骼在母胎中如何形成,你也無法瞭解創造萬物之上帝的作為。 6你要早晚不停地撒種,因為你不知道什麼時候撒的種子會發芽生長,或許所撒的都會帶來收穫。 7光真美好,能夠看見陽光真好! 8人一生不論活多久,都要活得快樂,但不要忘記死後有許多黑暗的日子。將來的一切都是虛空。 9年輕人啊,在年輕時要快樂,要在青春歲月裡使自己的心歡暢。心裡想做什麼就去做,眼睛想看什麼就去看。然而,要切記:上帝必照你所行的一切審判你。 10所以,你要拋開心中的煩惱和肉體的痛苦,因為青春年華轉瞬即逝。