Ecclesiastes 12

1 And remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of evil come, and the years overtake [you] in which you shall 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 While the sun and light are not darkened, nor the moon and the stars; nor 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 wherein the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the mighty men shall become bent, and the grinding [women] cease because they have become few, and the [women] looking out at the windows be dark;

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 they shall shut the doors in the marketplace, because of the weakness of the voice of her that grinds [at the mill]; and he shall rise up at the voice of the sparrow, and all the daughters of song shall be 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 and they shall look up, and fears [shall be] in the way, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the locust shall increase, and the caper shall be scattered: because man has gone to his eternal home, and the mourners have gone about the market:

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 [let go], or the choice gold be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel run down to 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 [before] the dust also return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return to 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, said the Preacher; all is vanity.

Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth: all is vanity.—

9 And because the Preacher was wise above [others, so it was] that he taught man excellent knowledge, and the ear will trace out the parables.

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 diligently to find out acceptable words, and a correct writing, [even] 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 as nails firmly fastened, which have been given from one shepherd by agreement.

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 moreover, my son, guard yourself by means of 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 Hear the end of the matter, the sun: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole 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 will bring every work into judgment, with everything that has been overlooked, 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.