Ecclesiastes 12
1 And remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, of which thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
Memento Creatoris tui in diebus iuventutis tuae, antequam veniat tempus afflictionis, et appropinquent anni, de quibus dicas: Non mihi placent,
2 before 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 stellae, et revertantur nubes post pluviam:
3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows are darkened,
quando commovebuntur custodes domus, et nutabunt viri fortissimi, et otiosae erunt molentes in minuto numero, et tenebrescent videntes per foramina:
4 and the doors are shut toward the street; when the sound of the grinding is subdued, and they rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low;
et claudent ostia in platea, in humilitate vocis molentis, et consurgent ad vocem volucris, et obsurdescent omnes filiae carminis.
5 they are also afraid of what is high, and terrors are in the way, and the almond is despised, and the grasshopper is a burden, and the caper-berry is without effect; (for man goeth to his age-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 aeternitatis suae, et circuibunt in platea plangentes.
6 — before the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be shattered at the fountain, or the wheel be 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 moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, and sought out, [and] set in order many proverbs.
Cumque esset sapientissimus Ecclesiastes, docuit populum, et enarravit quae fecerat: et investigans composuit parabolas multas.
10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words; and that which was written is upright, words of truth.
Quaesivit verba utilia, et conscripsit sermones rectissimos, ac veritate plenos.
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and the collections [of them] as nails fastened in: they are given from one shepherd.
Verba sapientium sicut stimuli, et quasi clavi in altum defixi, quae per magistrorum consilium data sunt a pastore uno.
12 And besides, my son, be warned by them: 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 Let us hear the end of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole 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 secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
et cuncta, quae fiunt, adducet Deus in iudicium pro omni errato, sive bonum, sive malum illud sit.
