1世事難測宜忠心勤勞要把你的糧食撒在水面上，因為日久你必得回。
1Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days.
2你要分為七份，或分為八份，因為你不知道將來會有甚麼災禍在地上發生。
2Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don’t know what evil will be on the earth.
3雲若充滿水氣，雨就傾倒在地上；樹無論向南倒，或向北倒，倒在哪裡，就橫在哪裡。
3If 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看風的，不撒種；觀雲的，不收割。
4He who observes the wind won’t sow; and he who regards the clouds won’t reap.
5你不曉得風的路向，不知道骨頭如何在孕婦胎中形成，照樣，創造萬物之 神的作為，你也不得而知。
5As 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早晨要撒你的種，直到黃昏也不要歇手；因為你不知道哪一樣種得成，是早撒的，或晚撒的，或兩者都一樣好。
6In 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當趁壯年記念主光是美好的，眼睛得見天日，也是好的。
7Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to see the sun.
8人無論多長壽，都當樂在其中，不過他要想到黑暗的日子，因為這些日子將會很多；要來的，都是虛空的。
8Yes, 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年輕人哪！你在幼年時要快樂，在壯年的日子，要使你的心歡暢；順著你心所願的，眼所見的去行。不過，你要知道，為了這一切事， 神必審問你。
9Rejoice, 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所以你當除掉心中的煩惱，除去肉體的疾苦，因為無論是幼年或是壯年，都是虛空的。
10Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.