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;
But remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youthful vigor, while the evil days are not yet come, nor those years draw nigh of which thou wilt 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, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are not yet darkened, and the clouds return not again 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,
On the day when the watchmen of the house will tremble and the men of might will bend themselves, and the grinders stand idle, because they are become few, and those be darkened that look through the windows;
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;
And when the two doors on the streets will be locked, while the sound of the mill becometh dull, and man riseth up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of song are brought 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; )
Also when men will be afraid of every elevation, and are terrified on every way, and the almond-tree will refuse [its blossom], and the locust will drag itself slowly along, and the desire will gainsay compliance; because man goeth to his eternal home, and the mourners go about 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;
While the silver cord is not yet torn loose, and the golden bowl is not crushed, and the pitcher is not broken at the fountain, and the wheel is not crushed at the cistern;
7 and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it.
When the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return unto God who gave it.—
8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher: all is vanity.
Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth: all is vanity.—
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 in addition to this that Koheleth was wise, he continually also taught the people knowledge, and he probed, and searched out, and composed many proverbs.
10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words; and that which was written is upright, words of truth.
Koheleth sought to find out acceptable words, and that which would be written down uprightly, even words of truth.
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 like goads, and like nails fastened [are the words of] the men of the assemblies, which are given by one shepherd.
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.
But more than all these, my son, take warning for thyself: the making of many books would have no end; and much preaching is a weariness of 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.
The end of the matter is, let us hear the whole: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole [duty of] man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
For every deed will God bring into the judgment concerning every thing that hath been hidden, whether it be good, or whether it be bad.
