Ecclesiastes 12
1 Remember your Creator while you are young, before days of trouble come and you grow old, saying, “I'm not enjoying life anymore.”
Yet remember thy Creator, in the days of thy vigour, —or ever come in, the days of discomfort, and the years arrive, in which thou shalt say—I have, in them, no pleasure;
2 Before the light fades—sun, moon, and stars—and rain clouds return to darken the skies.
Or ever be darkened—the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, —and the clouds return after a downpour of rain;
3 Before the guards of the house tremble and the strong men are bent over, the grinders stop working because there are only a few left, and the ones looking through the windows only see dimly,
In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the men of might bow themselves, —and the grinders cease because they are few, and they who look through the windows are darkened;
4 and the doors to the street are shut. Before the sound of the grinding mill grows low, and you wake up early when the birds are singing, but you can hardly hear them.
And the doors in the street be closed, when the sound of the mill become low, —and one rise at the chirp of a small bird, and low-voiced be all the daughters of song;
5 Before you develop a fear of heights and worry about going out on the streets; when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper crawls along, and desire fails, for everyone has to go to their eternal home as the mourners go up and down the street.
Yea, at what is high, they be in fear, and there be, terrors, in the way, and the almond be rejected, and the grasshopper drag itself along, and desire perish, —for man is going to his age-abiding home, when the wailers shall go round in the streets;
6 Before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is broken; before the water jug is smashed at the spring, or the pulley is broken at the well.
Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, —or the bucket by the fountain be shivered, or the wheel at the well be broken;
7 Then the dust returns to the earth from which it came, and the breath of life returns to God who gave it.
And the dust return to the earth, as it was, —and, the spirit, return unto God, who gave it.
8 “Everything passes! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Proclaimer, all, is vanity.
9 Not only was the Teacher a wise man, he also taught what he knew to others. He thought about many proverbs, studying them and arranging them.
Besides that, the Proclaimer being wise, —still further taught knowledge unto the people, and weighed and searched, arranged proverbs in abundance.
10 The Teacher looked for the best way to explain things, writing truthfully and honestly.
The Proclaimer sought to find out words giving delight, and to note down rightly, the words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are like cattle prods. Their collected sayings are like nails driven home, given by one shepherd.
The words of the wise, are as goads, yea, as driven nails, their well-ordered sayings, —given from one shepherd.
12 In addition, my student, take care, for there's no end to book writing, and too much study wears you out.
And besides, from them, my son, be admonished, —Of making many books, there is no end, and, much study, is a weariness of the flesh.
13 To sum up now that everything has been discussed: Respect God by keeping his commandments, for that's what everyone should do.
The conclusion of the matter—the whole, let us hear, —Towards God, be reverent, and, his commandments, observe, for, this, [concerneth] all mankind.
14 God is going to judge us for everything we do, including what we do secretly, whether good or bad.
For, every work, will God bring into judgment, with every hidden thing, —whether good, or evil.
