1Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.
1Tanamlah uangmu dalam usaha di luar negeri. Pasti kaudapat untung di kemudian hari.
2Give a portion to seven, yea, even unto eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
2Tanamlah modalmu di berbagai niaga; carilah usaha sebanyak-banyaknya. Sebab orang perlu waspada, sebelum musibah menimpa.
3If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be.
3Ke arah mana pun pohon itu rubuh, tetap akan terbaring di tempat ia jatuh. Bila awan mengandung air hingga sarat, hujan pun turun ke bumi dengan lebat.
4He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
4Siapa menunggu sampai angin dan cuaca sempurna, tak akan menanam dan tidak pula memetik hasilnya.
5As thou knowest not what is the way of the wind, [nor] how the bones [do grow] in the womb of her that is with child; even so thou knowest not the work of God who doeth all.
5Allah membuat segala-galanya, dan manusia tak dapat memahami tindakan-Nya; begitu pula ia tak mengerti tumbuhnya kehidupan baru di dalam kandungan seorang ibu.
6In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
6Taburlah benihmu di waktu pagi dan janganlah berhenti di malam hari. Sebab kita tak tahu taburan mana yang baik tumbuhnya. Barangkali juga keduanya tumbuh dengan sempurna.
7Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.
7Sinar matahari membuat bahagia; alangkah senangnya bila dapat menikmatinya.
8Yea, if a man live many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
8Hendaklah engkau bersyukur kalau bertambah umur. Tapi ingat, biar engkau hidup lama di bumi, masamu di alam maut masih lebih lama lagi. Jadi, apa yang mau diharapkan pula? Semuanya percuma dan sia-sia.
9Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
9Nikmatilah masa mudamu, hai pemuda! Bergembiralah selama engkau masih remaja. Penuhilah segala hasrat jiwamu, laksanakanlah semua niat hatimu. Tetapi ingat, Allah yang ada di surga, kelak mengadili tindakanmu semua.
10Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
10Usirlah khawatir dan susah dari hatimu, sebab masa mudamu cepat berlalu.