Ecclesiastes 12

Revised Geneva Translation

12 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, while the evil days have yet to come. Nor have the years approached in which you shall say, “I have no pleasure in them,”

² while the Sun is not dark, nor the light, nor the moon, nor the stars. Nor do the clouds return after the rain,

³ when the keepers of the house shall tremble and the strong men shall bow themselves and the grinders shall cease (because they are few and those who look out by the windows grow dark).

⁴ And the doors shall be shut in the streets by the low sound of the grinding. And he shall rise up at the voice of the bird. And all the daughters of singing shall be brought low.

⁵ Also they shall be afraid of the high thing. And fear shall be on the way. And the almond tree shall flourish. And the grasshopper shall be a burden. And grasshopper shall be driven away. For man goes to his eternal home. And the mourners go about in the street.

⁶ While the silver cord is not lengthened, or the golden bowl broken, or the pitcher broken at the well, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

⁷ And 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 the wiser the preacher was, the more he taught the people knowledge, and caused them to hear, and searched forth, and prepared many parables.

¹⁰ The preacher sought to find out pleasant words, and an upright writing, the words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails fastened by the masters of the assemblies, which are given by one pastor.

¹² And of other things besides these, my son, take note. For there is no end in making many books. And much reading is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ Let us hear the end of all: Fear God and keep His Commandments. For this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁴ For God will bring every work to judgment, with every secret thing, whether it is good or evil.