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.”

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 While that the sun is not darkened, and the light, And the moon, and the stars, And the thick clouds returned 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 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 men of might bow themselves, —and the grinders cease because they are few, and they who look through the windows are darkened;

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 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 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.

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 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.

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 returns to the earth as it was, And the spirit returns 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 the preacher, the whole [is] vanity.

Vanity of vanities, saith the Proclaimer, 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.

Besides that, the Proclaimer being wise, —still further taught knowledge unto the people, and weighed and searched, arranged proverbs in abundance.

10 The preacher sought to find out pleasing words, and [that] written [by] the upright—words of truth.

The Proclaimer sought to find out words giving delight, and to note down rightly, the 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, yea, as driven nails, their well-ordered sayings, —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 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 whole matter let us hear: “Fear God, and keep His commands, for this [is] the whole of 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 every work God brings into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or bad.”

For, every work, will God bring into judgment, with every hidden thing, —whether good, or evil.