Ecclesiastes 12
1 And remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, of which thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
Let your mind be turned to your Maker in the days of your strength, while the evil days come not, and the years are far away when you will say, I have no pleasure in them;
2 before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;
While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, are not dark, and the clouds come not back after the rain;
3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows are darkened,
In the day when the keepers of the house are shaking for fear, and the strong men are bent down, and the women who were crushing the grain are at rest because their number is small, and those looking out of the windows are unable to see;
4 and the doors are shut toward the street; when the sound of the grinding is subdued, and they rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low;
When the doors are shut in the street, and the sound of the crushing is low, and the voice of the bird is soft, and the daughters of music will be made low;
5 they are also afraid of what is high, and terrors are in the way, and the almond is despised, and the grasshopper is a burden, and the caper-berry is without effect; (for man goeth to his age-long home, and the mourners go about the streets; )
And he is in fear of that which is high, and danger is in the road, and the tree is white with flower, and the least thing is a weight, and desire is at an end, because man goes to his last resting-place, and those who are sorrowing are in the streets;
6 — before the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be shattered at the fountain, or the wheel be broken at the cistern;
Before ever the silver cord is cut, or the vessel of gold is broken, or the pot is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the water-hole;
7 and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it.
And the dust goes back to the earth as it was, and the spirit goes back to God who gave it.
8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher: all is vanity.
All things are to no purpose, says the Preacher, all is to no purpose.
9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, and sought out, [and] set in order many proverbs.
And because the Preacher was wise he still gave the people knowledge; searching out, testing, and putting in order a great number of wise sayings.
10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words; and that which was written is upright, words of truth.
The Preacher made search for words which were pleasing, but his writing was in words upright and true.
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and the collections [of them] as nails fastened in: they are given from one shepherd.
The words of the wise are pointed, and sayings grouped together are like nails fixed with a hammer; they are given by one guide.
12 And besides, my son, be warned by them: of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
And further, my son, take note of this: of the making of books there is no end, and much learning is a weariness to the flesh.
13 Let us hear the end of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole of man.
This is the last word. All has been said. Have fear of God and keep his laws; because this is right for every man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
God will be judge of every work, with every secret thing, good or evil.
