Ecclesiastes 12
1 Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, or ever the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
Remember nowe thy Creator in the daies of thy youth, whiles the euill daies come not, nor the yeeres approche, wherein thou shalt say, I haue no pleasure in them:
2 or ever the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain:
Whiles the sunne is not darke, nor ye light, nor the moone, nor the starres, nor the cloudes returne after the raine:
3 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 of the windows be darkened,
When the keepers of ye house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow them selues, and the grinders shall cease, because they are few, and they waxe darke that looke out by ye windowes:
4 and the door shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;
And the doores shall be shut without by the base sound of the grinding, and he shall rise vp at the voice of the birde: and all the daughters of singing shall be abased.
5 yea, 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 be a burden, and the caper-berry shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
Also they shalbe afraide of the hie thing, and feare shalbe in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grassehopper shall be a burden, and concupiscence shall be driuen away: for man goeth to the house of his age, and the mourners goe about in the streete.
6 or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern;
Whiles the siluer coarde is not lengthened, nor the golden ewer broken, nor the pitcher broken at the well, nor the wheele broken at the cisterne:
7 and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it.
And dust returne to the earth as it was, and the spirit returne to God that gaue it.
8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity.
Vanitie of vanities, saieth the Preacher, all is vanitie.
9 And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, [and] set in order many proverbs.
And the more wise the Preacher was, the more he taught the people knowledge, and caused them to heare, and searched foorth, and prepared many parables.
10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, [even] words of truth.
The Preacher sought to finde out pleasant wordes, and an vpright writing, euen the wordes of trueth.
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails well fastened are [the words of] the masters of assemblies, [which] are given from one shepherd.
The wordes of the wise are like goads, and like nailes fastened by the masters of the assemblies, which are giuen by one pastour.
12 And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
And of other things beside these, my sone, take thou heede: for there is none ende in making many bookes, and much reading is a wearines of the flesh.
13 [This is] the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole [duty] of man.
Let vs heare the end of all: feare God and keepe his commandements: for this is the whole duetie of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
For God will bring euery worke vnto iudgement, with euery secret thing, whether it be good or euill.
