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;
Memento Creatoris tui in diebus iuventutis tuæ, antequam veniat tempus afflictionis, et appropinquent anni, de quibus dicas: Non mihi placent,
2 or ever the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain:
antequam tenebrescat sol, et lumen, et luna, et stellæ, et revertantur nubes post pluviam:
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,
quando commovebuntur custodes domus, et nutabunt viri fortissimi, et otiosæ erunt molentes in minuto numero, et tenebrescent videntes per foramina:
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;
et claudent ostia in platea, in humilitate vocis molentis, et consurgent ad vocem volucris, et obsurdescent omnes filiæ carminis.
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:
Excelsa quoque timebunt, et formidabunt in via, florebit amygdalus, impinguabitur locusta, et dissipabitur capparis: quoniam ibit homo in domum æternitatis suæ, et circuibunt in platea plangentes.
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;
Antequam rumpatur funiculus argenteus, et recurrat vitta aurea, et conteratur hydria super fontem, et confringatur rota super cisternam,
7 and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it.
et revertatur pulvis in terram suam unde erat, et spiritus redeat ad Deum, qui dedit illum.
8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity.
Vanitas vanitatum, dixit Ecclesiastes, et omnia vanitas.
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.
Cumque esset sapientissimus Ecclesiastes, docuit populum, et enarravit quæ fecerat: et investigans composuit parabolas multas.
10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, [even] words of truth.
Quæsivit verba utilia, et conscripsit sermones rectissimos, ac veritate plenos.
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.
Verba sapientium sicut stimuli, et quasi clavi in altum defixi, quæ per magistrorum consilium data sunt a pastore uno.
12 And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
His amplius fili mi ne requiras. Faciendi plures libros nullus est finis: frequensque meditatio, carnis afflictio est.
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.
Finem loquendi pariter omnes audiamus. Deum time, et mandata eius observa: hoc est enim omnis homo:
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
et cuncta, quæ fiunt, adducet Deus in iudicium pro omni errato, sive bonum, sive malum illud sit.
