Ecclesiastes 12

¹Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the time of affliction arrives and the years draw near, about which you will say, “These do not please me.

²Before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain

³when the guardians of the house will tremble, and the strongest men will waver, and those who grind grain will be idle, except for a small number, and those who look through the keyholes will be darkened

⁴And they will close the doors to the street, when the voice of he who grinds the grain will be humbled, and they will be disturbed at the sound of a flying thing, and all the daughters of song shall become deaf

⁵Likewise, they will fear the things above them, and they will dread the way. The almond tree will flourish; the locust will be fattened; and the caper plant will be scattered, because man shall go into the house of his eternity, and the mourners shall wander around in the street

⁶Before the silver cord is broken, and the golden band pulls away, and the pitcher is crushed over the fountain, and the wheel is broken above the cistern

⁷and the dust returns to its earth, from which it was, and the spirit returns to God, who granted it

⁸Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, and all is vanity

⁹And since Ecclesiastes was very wise, he taught the people, and he described what he had accomplished. And while searching, he composed many parables

¹⁰He sought useful words, and he wrote most righteous words, which were full of truth

¹¹The words of the wise are like a goad, and like nails deeply fastened, which, through the counsel of teachers, are set forth by one pastor

¹²You should require no more than this, my son. For there is no end to the making of many books. And excessive study is an affliction to the flesh

¹³Let us all listen together to the end of the discourse. Fear God, and observe his commandments. This is everything for man

¹⁴And so, for all that is done and for each error, God will bring judgment: whether it was good or evil