Ecclesiastes 12

12Remember ^anow your Creator in the days of your youth,

Before the ¹difficult days come,

And the years draw near ^bwhen you say,

“I have no pleasure in them”:

²While the sun and the light,

The moon and the stars,

Are not darkened,

And the clouds do not return after the rain;

³In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,

And the strong men bow down;

When the grinders cease because they are few,

And those that look through the windows grow dim;

⁴When the doors are shut in the streets,

And the sound of grinding is low;

When one rises up at the sound of a bird,

And all ^cthe daughters of music are brought low.

⁵Also they are afraid of height,

And of terrors in the way;

When the almond tree blossoms,

The grasshopper is a burden,

And desire fails.

For man goes to ^dhis eternal home,

And ^ethe mourners go about the streets.

⁶Remember your Creator before the silver cord is ²loosed,

Or the golden bowl is broken,

Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,

Or the wheel broken at the well.

^7fThen the dust will return to the earth as it was,

^gAnd the spirit will return to God ^hwho gave it.

⁸“Vanity ⁱof vanities,” says the Preacher,

“All is vanity.”

The Whole Duty of Man

⁹And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and ^jset ³in order many proverbs. ¹⁰The Preacher sought to find ⁴acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. ¹¹The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of ⁵scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. ¹²And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and ^kmuch study is wearisome to the flesh.

¹³Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

^lFear God and keep His commandments,

For this is man’s all.

¹⁴For ^mGod will bring every work into judgment,

Including every secret thing,

Whether good or evil.