KJV ORIGINAL
In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
Plant your seeds in the morning, and don't stop working in the evening either. You don't know which efforts will succeed—the morning ones, the evening ones, or maybe both will turn out equally well.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
The writer is encouraging us to work diligently at all times because we can't predict which of our efforts will be successful.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes from Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon (or someone in his tradition) around 950-300 BC. The book reflects on life's uncertainties and the search for meaning. In an agricultural society, sowing seed was a familiar metaphor for any kind of work or investment that required faith in an uncertain future.
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