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.”

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

7 And the dust returns to the earth as it was, And the spirit returns to God who gave it.

8 Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole [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.

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

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.

13 The end of the whole matter let us hear: “Fear God, and keep His commands, for this [is] the whole of man.

14 For every work God brings into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or bad.”