What a Wise Person Does (ECC 11:1-8)

[11:1] Invest your money in foreign trade, and one of these days you will make a profit.

[11:2] Put your investments in several places—many places even—because you never know what kind of bad luck you are going to have in this world.

[11:3] No matter which direction a tree falls, it will lie where it fell. When the clouds are full, it rains.

[11:4] If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything.

[11:5] God made everything, and you can no more understand what he does than you understand how new life begins in the womb of a pregnant woman.

[11:6] Do your planting in the morning and in the evening, too. You never know whether it will all grow well or whether one planting will do better than the other.

[11:7] It is good to be able to enjoy the pleasant light of day.

[11:8] Be grateful for every year you live. No matter how long you live, remember that you will be dead much longer. There is nothing at all to look forward to.