The Message Bible MSG
World English Bible WEB
1 e generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns.
1
Cast your bread on the waters; For you shall find it after many days.
2 Don't hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others. This could be your last night.
2
Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; For you don't know what evil will be on the earth.
3 When the clouds are full of water, it rains. When the wind blows down a tree, it lies where it falls.
3
If 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 shall it be.
4 Don't sit there watching the wind. Do your own work. Don't stare at the clouds. Get on with your life.
4
He who observes the wind won't sow; And he who regards the clouds won't reap.
5 Just as you'll never understand the mystery of life forming in a pregnant woman, So you'll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does.
5
As you don't know what is the way of the wind, Nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; Even so you don't know the work of God who does all.
6 Go to work in the morning and stick to it until evening without watching the clock. You never know from moment to moment how your work will turn out in the end. Before the Years Take Their Toll
6
In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening don't withhold your hand; For you don't know which will prosper, whether this or that, Or whether they both will be equally good.
7 Oh, how sweet the light of day, And how wonderful to live in the sunshine!
7
Truly the light is sweet, And a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to see the sun.
8 Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted. Take delight in each light-filled hour, Remembering that there will also be many dark days And that most of what comes your way is smoke.
8
Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; But let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.
9 You who are young, make the most of your youth. Relish your youthful vigor. Follow the impulses of your heart. If something looks good to you, pursue it. But know also that not just anything goes; You have to answer to God for every last bit of it.
9
Rejoice, young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, And walk in the ways of your heart, And in the sight of your eyes; But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
10 Live footloose and fancy free - You won't be young forever. Youth lasts about as long as smoke.
10
Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, And put away evil from your flesh; For youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.