Ecclesiastes 11 good news bible

Here is Ecclesiastes 11 in the Good News Bible (GNB):

11

  1. Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.
  2. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what disaster may happen on earth.
  3. If clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
  4. Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
  5. Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind, or the way the body is placed on bones, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
  6. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
  7. Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.
  8. Yes, if a person lives a thousand years twice over, but cannot enjoy it all, do not call that a blessing; do not say, "Look, this is the reward of all my hard work!"
  9. All toil is meaningless; a chasing after wind.
  10. Whatever exists, God has made it for its own purpose; even the wicked for the day of trouble.

This passage is encouraging us to trust in God's sovereignty and provision, even when we don't understand what's happening. It's saying that we can't control everything, and that sometimes things happen that are beyond our understanding. But instead of worrying about what we can't control, we should focus on what we can control - like sowing our seeds and working hard - and trust that God will take care of the rest.