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Ecclesiastes chapter 11 in Hebrew and English

10 verses, about 2 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

שַׁלַּח לַחְמְךָ עַל־פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם כִּי־בְרֹב הַיָּמִים תִּמְצָאֶֽנּוּ׃

Cast thy bread upon the waters, For thou shalt find it after many days.

תֶּן־חֵלֶק לְשִׁבְעָה וְגַם לִשְׁמוֹנָה כִּי לֹא תֵדַע מַה־יִּהְיֶה רָעָה עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Divide a portion into seven, yea, even into eight; For thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

אִם־יִמָּלְאוּ הֶעָבִים גֶּשֶׁם עַל־הָאָרֶץ יָרִיקוּ וְאִם־יִפּוֹל עֵץ בַּדָּרוֹם וְאִם בַּצָּפוֹן מְקוֹם שֶׁיִפּוֹל הָעֵץ שָׁם יְהֽוּא׃

If the clouds be full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree fall in the south, or in the north, In the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be.

שֹׁמֵר רוּחַ לֹא יִזְרָע וְרֹאֶה בֶעָבִים לֹא יִקְצֽוֹר׃

He that observeth the wind shall not sow; And he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

כַּאֲשֶׁר אֵינְךָ יוֹדֵעַ מַה־דֶּרֶךְ הָרוּחַ כַּעֲצָמִים בְּבֶטֶן הַמְּלֵאָה כָּכָה לֹא תֵדַע אֶת־מַעֲשֵׂה הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אֶת־הַכֹּֽל׃

As 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 things.

בַּבֹּקֶר זְרַע אֶת־זַרְעֶךָ וְלָעֶרֶב אַל־תַּנַּח יָדֶךָ כִּי אֵינְךָ יוֹדֵע אֵי זֶה יִכְשָׁר הֲזֶה אוֹ־זֶה וְאִם־שְׁנֵיהֶם כְּאֶחָד טוֹבִֽים׃

In 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.

וּמָתוֹק הָאוֹר וְטוֹב לַעֵינַיִם לִרְאוֹת אֶת־הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃

And the light is sweet, And a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.

כִּי אִם־שָׁנִים הַרְבֵּה יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם בְּכֻלָּם יִשְׂמָח וְיִזְכֹּר אֶת־יְמֵי הַחֹשֶׁךְ כִּי־הַרְבֵּה יִהְיוּ כָּל־שֶׁבָּא הָֽבֶל׃

For if a man live many years, Let him rejoice in them all, And remember the days of darkness, For they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.

שְׂמַח בָּחוּר בְּיַלְדוּתֶיךָ וִיטִּיבְךָ לִבְּךָ בִּימֵי בְחוּרוֹתֶךָ וְהַלֵּךְ בְּדַרְכֵי לִבְּךָ וּבְמַרְאֵי עֵינֶיךָ וְדָע כִּי עַל־כָּל־אֵלֶּה יְבִיאֲךָ הָאֱלֹהִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּֽט׃

Rejoice, 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.

וְהָסֵר כַּעַס מִלִּבֶּךָ וְהַעֲבֵר רָעָה מִבְּשָׂרֶךָ כִּי־הַיַּלְדוּת וְהַשַּׁחֲרוּת הָֽבֶל׃

Therefore remove vexation from thy heart, And put away evil from thy flesh; For childhood and youth are vanity.

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 11 of the 12 chapters of Ecclesiastes
  • Ecclesiastes is one of the Writings
  • 10 verses, 143 words, about 2 minutes to read

Ecclesiastes has 12 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Ecclesiastes·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Ecclesiastes chapter 11 have?

Ecclesiastes chapter 11 has 10 verses and 143 words.

How does Ecclesiastes chapter 11 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words שלח לחמך על־פני המים.

Where does Ecclesiastes chapter 11 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 11 of the 12 chapters of Ecclesiastes, which is one of the Writings.

How long does it take to read Ecclesiastes chapter 11?

About 2 minutes, at a steady pace.