Ecclesiastes 12
1 Remember also your Creator in days of your youth, While that the evil days do not come, Nor the years have arrived, that you say, “I have no pleasure in them.”
Remember your Creator while you are young, before days of trouble come and you grow old, saying, “I'm not enjoying life anymore.”
2 While that the sun is not darkened, and the light, And the moon, and the stars, And the thick clouds returned after the rain.
Before the light fades—sun, moon, and stars—and rain clouds return to darken the skies.
3 In the day that keepers of the house tremble, And men of strength have bowed themselves, And grinders have ceased, because they have become few. And those looking out at the windows have become dim,
Before the guards of the house tremble and the strong men are bent over, the grinders stop working because there are only a few left, and the ones looking through the windows only see dimly,
4 And doors have been shut in the street. When the noise of the grinding is low, And [one] rises at the voice of the bird, And all daughters of song are bowed down.
and the doors to the street are shut. Before the sound of the grinding mill grows low, and you wake up early when the birds are singing, but you can hardly hear them.
5 Also of that which is high they are afraid, And of the low places in the way, And the almond-tree is despised, And the grasshopper has become a burden, And want is increased, For man is going to his perpetual home, And the mourners have gone around through the street.
Before you develop a fear of heights and worry about going out on the streets; when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper crawls along, and desire fails, for everyone has to go to their eternal home as the mourners go up and down the street.
6 While that the silver cord is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.
Before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is broken; before the water jug is smashed at the spring, or the pulley is broken at the well.
7 And the dust returns to the earth as it was, And the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Then the dust returns to the earth from which it came, and the breath of life returns to God who gave it.
8 Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole [is] vanity.
“Everything passes! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.
9 And further, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge, and gave ear, and sought out—he made right many allegories.
Not only was the Teacher a wise man, he also taught what he knew to others. He thought about many proverbs, studying them and arranging them.
10 The preacher sought to find out pleasing words, and [that] written [by] the upright—words of truth.
The Teacher looked for the best way to explain things, writing truthfully and honestly.
11 Words of the wise [are] as the goads, and as nails planted [by] the masters of collections, they have been given by one Shepherd.
The words of the wise are like cattle prods. Their collected sayings are like nails driven home, given by one shepherd.
12 And further, from these, my son, be warned; the making of many scrolls has no end, and much study [is] a weariness of the flesh.
In addition, my student, take care, for there's no end to book writing, and too much study wears you out.
13 The end of the whole matter let us hear: “Fear God, and keep His commands, for this [is] the whole of man.
To sum up now that everything has been discussed: Respect God by keeping his commandments, for that's what everyone should do.
14 For every work God brings into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or bad.”
God is going to judge us for everything we do, including what we do secretly, whether good or bad.
