Ecclesiastes Chapter 12 Remember also your Creator in
the days of your youth before the evil days come and the years
draw near of which you will say, I have no pleasure in them. Before
the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened
and the clouds return after the rain, In the day when the keepers
of the house tremble, And the strong men are bent, And the
grinders cease because they are few, And those who look through
the windows are dimmed, And the doors on the street are shut,
When the sound of the grinding is low, And one rises up at the
sound of a bird, And all the daughters of song are brought
low. They are afraid also of what
is high, and terrors are in the way. The almond tree blossoms,
the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because
man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the
streets. Before the silver cord is snapped,
or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at
the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust
returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God
who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the
preacher. All is vanity. Besides being wise, the preacher
also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying, and arranging
many proverbs with great care. The preacher sought to find words
of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. The words
of the wise are like goads, And like nails firmly fixed are the
collected sayings. They are given by one shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond
these. Of making many books there is
no end, And much study is a weariness of the flesh. the end of the
matter, all has been heard. Fear God, and keep His commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every
deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or
evil. you