Ecclesiastes 12

1Remember also 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;

1Remember your Creator while you are still young, before the hard days come and the years arrive when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them';

2before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;

2before the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars grows dim, and the rain clouds keep returning;

3in 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 shall be darkened,

3at that time, the guards of the house will tremble, the strong men will stoop, the grinders will stop because they are few, and those looking through the windows will see only darkness;

4and the doors 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;

4the doors to the street will be shut and the sound of the mill will fade; you will wake up at the song of a bird, but all their songs will sound faint to you;

5yea, 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 desire shall fail; because man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets:

5people will be afraid of heights and of dangers in the road; the almond tree will blossom, the grasshopper will drag itself along, and desire will fade. For man goes to his eternal home, and mourners walk around in the streets;

6before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,

6remember him before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel is broken at the well;

7and the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it.

7then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

8Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity.

8'Everything is completely meaningless,' says the Teacher. 'Everything is useless.'

9And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

9Besides being wise, the Teacher also taught the people what he knew. He studied, explored, and arranged many proverbs.

10The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth.

10The Teacher tried to find just the right words, and what he wrote was honest and true.

11The 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.

11The words of the wise are like cattle prods; their collected sayings are like firmly embedded nails, given by one Shepherd.

12And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

12Be warned, my son, of anything beyond these: There is no end to the making of many books, and too much study exhausts the body.

13This isthe end of the matter; all hath been heard: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

13Now that everything has been heard, here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person.

14For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

14For God will judge every act, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.