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 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';
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 sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;
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,
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,
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 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;
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.
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;
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 asunder, and the golden bowl is shattered, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel falleth shattered, into the pit;
7 And the dust returns to the earth as it was, And the spirit returns to God who gave it.
And the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it.
8 Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole [is] vanity.
Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth; all is vanity.
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.
And besides that Koheleth was wise, he also taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
10 The preacher sought to find out pleasing words, and [that] written [by] the upright—words of truth.
Koheleth sought to find out words of delight, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth.
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 as goads, and as nails well fastened are those that are composed in collections; they are given from 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.
And furthermore, 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 whole matter let us hear: “Fear God, and keep His commands, for this [is] the whole of man.
The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole man.
14 For every work God brings into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or bad.”
For God shall bring every work into the judgment concerning every hidden thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
