1 Cast your bread upon the waters; for you shall find it after many days.2 Give a share to seven, and also to eight; for you do not know what evil shall be on the earth.3 If the clouds are full of rain, they empty upon the earth; and if the tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall be.4 He who watches the wind will not sow; and he who pays attention to the clouds will not reap.5 As you do not know what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones grow in the womb of a pregnant woman; even so you do not know the works of God who makes everything.6 In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which shall be blessed, either this or that, or whether they both alike shall be good.7 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.8 But if a man lives many years, and rejoices in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that has come is vanity.9 Rejoice in your youth, young man; 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 Therefore remove vexation from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh; for childhood and black hair of youth are vanity.

1 Sende thi breed on watris passynge forth, for aftir many tymes thou schalt fynde it.2 Yyue thou partis seuene, and also eiyte; for thou woost not, what yuel schal come on erthe.3 If cloudis ben filled, tho schulen schede out reyn on the erthe; if a tre fallith doun to the south, ether to the north, in what euer place it fallith doun, there it schal be.4 He that aspieth the wynd, sowith not; and he that biholdith the cloudis, schal neuere repe.5 As thou knowist not, which is the weye of the spirit, and bi what resoun boonys ben ioyned togidere in the wombe of a womman with childe, so thou knowist not the werkis of God, which is makere of alle thingis.6 Eerli sowe thi seed, and thin hond ceesse not in the euentid; for thou woost not, what schal come forth more, this ethir that; and if euer eithir cometh forth togidere, it schal be the betere.7 The liyt is sweet, and delitable to the iyen to se the sunne.8 If a man lyueth many yeeris, and is glad in alle these, he owith to haue mynde of derk tyme, and of many daies; and whanne tho schulen come, thingis passid schulen be repreued of vanyte.9 Therfor, thou yonge man, be glad in thi yongthe, and thin herte be in good in the daies of thi yongthe, and go thou in the weies of thin herte, and in the biholdyng of thin iyen; and wite thou, that for alle these thingis God shal brynge thee in to doom.10 Do thou awei ire fro thin herte, and remoue thou malice fro thi fleisch; for whi yongthe and lust ben veyne thingis.