Ecclesiastes 12
1 Remember then thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when 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, are 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 shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out shall be darkened in the windows,
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 shall be shut in the street, when the sound of the grinding is low; and one shall start up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be 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 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall drag itself along, and the caperberry shall fail; because man goeth to his 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 is snapped asunder, and the golden bowl is shattered, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel falleth shattered, into the pit;
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 returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth 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 Koheleth; all is vanity.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Proclaimer, all, is vanity.
9 And besides that Koheleth was wise, he also taught the people knowledge; yea, 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 Koheleth sought to find out words of delight, and that which was written uprightly, even 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 as nails well fastened are those that are composed in collections; 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 furthermore, my son, be admonished: 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 The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole 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 the judgment concerning every hidden 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.
