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;

Yet remember thy Creator, in the days of thy vigour, —or ever come in, the days of discomfort, and the years arrive, in which thou shalt say—I have, in them, no pleasure;

2 before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;

Or ever be darkened—the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, —and the clouds return after a downpour of 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 shall tremble, and the men of might bow themselves, —and the grinders cease because they are few, and they who look through the windows are darkened;

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 the doors in the street be closed, when the sound of the mill become low, —and one rise at the chirp of a small bird, and low-voiced be all the daughters of song;

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; )

Yea, at what is high, they be in fear, and there be, terrors, in the way, and the almond be rejected, and the grasshopper drag itself along, and desire perish, —for man is going to his age-abiding home, when the wailers shall go round 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;

Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, —or the bucket by the fountain be shivered, or the wheel at the well be broken;

7 and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it.

And the dust return to the earth, as it was, —and, the spirit, return unto God, who gave it.

8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher: all is vanity.

Vanity of vanities, saith the Proclaimer, 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.

Besides that, the Proclaimer being wise, —still further taught knowledge unto the people, and weighed and searched, arranged proverbs in abundance.

10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words; and that which was written is upright, words of truth.

The Proclaimer sought to find out words giving delight, and to note down rightly, the 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 as goads, yea, as driven nails, their well-ordered sayings, —given from 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.

And besides, from them, my son, be admonished, —Of making many books, there is no end, and, much study, 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 conclusion of the matter—the whole, let us hear, —Towards God, be reverent, and, his commandments, observe, for, this, [concerneth] all mankind.

14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.

For, every work, will God bring into judgment, with every hidden thing, —whether good, or evil.