Ecclesiastes 12

1 Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the time of affliction come, and the years draw nigh of which thou shalt say: They please me not:

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;

2 Before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain:

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

3 When the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall stagger, and the grinders shall be idle in a small number, and they that look through the holes shall be darkened:

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,

4 And they shall shut the doors in the street, when the grinder’s voice shall be low, and they shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall grow deaf.

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;

5 And they shall fear high things, and they shall be afraid in the way, the almond tree shall flourish, the locust shall be made fat, and the caper tree shall be destroyed: because man shall go into the house of his eternity, and the mourners shall go round about in the street.

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; )

6 Before the silver cord be broken, and the golden fillet shrink back, and the pitcher be crushed at the fountain, and the wheel be broken upon the cistern,

— 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;

7 And the dust return into its earth, from whence it was, and the spirit return to 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, said Ecclesiastes, and all things are vanity.

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

9 And whereas Ecclesiastes was very wise, he taught the people, and declared the things that he had done: and seeking out, he set forth many parables.

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.

10 He sought profitable words, and wrote words most right, and full of truth.

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

11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails deeply fastened in, which by the counsel of masters are given from one shepherd.

The words of the wise are as goads, and the collections [of them] as nails fastened in: they are given from one shepherd.

12 More than these, my son, require not. Of making many books there is no end: and much study is an affliction of the flesh.

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.

13 Let us all hear together the conclusion of the discourse. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is all man:

Let us hear the end of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole of man.

14 And all things that are done, God will bring into judgment for every error, whether it be good or evil.

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