Ecclesiastes 12

1. Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years of old age draw near, when you shall say, “I have no pleasure in them.”

2. When the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, are darkened, or the clouds return after rain, When your vision dims with old age making it hard to see the sun, moon or stars.

3. In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men are stooped over, and the grinders cease because they are few, and the eyes of those who look out of the windows grow dim, Verses 3-7 are poetic analogies describing the process of aging, becoming weaker as one’s life declines unto death.

4. And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and you shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

5. Also when they are afraid of heights, and terrors along the way, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goes to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets;

6. Before 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;

7. And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

8. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “all is vanity.”

9. And more than that, the Preacher was wise; he still taught the people knowledge. Yea, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.

10. The Preacher sought to find out pleasing words; and words of truth written by the upright.

11. The words of the wise men are like goads; yea, their collected words are like nails driven home; given by one Shepherd.

12. And further, by these, my son, be warned. Of the making of many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

13. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments. For this is the whole man.

14. For God shall bring every work into judgment, concerning every secret thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.