|
Chapter 12 |
| 1 | Remember now
thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the
years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; |
| 2 |
While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor
the clouds return after the rain: |
| 3 | In the day when the keepers of
the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the
grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be
darkened, |
| 4
| And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the
sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird,
and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; |
| 5 | Also when they
shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the
almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire
shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the
streets: |
| 6
| Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be
broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the
cistern. |
| 7
| Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and
the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. |
| 8 | Vanity of
vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. |
|
9 | And moreover, because the
preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good
heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. |
| 10 | The preacher
sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright,
even words of truth. |
| 11 | The words of the wise are as goads, and as
nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one
shepherd. |
| 12
| And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making
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 duty of man. |
| 14 | For God
shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be
good, or whether it be evil. |
