ECC 1:1 The words
of the Preacher, the son of David, king in
Jerusalem.
ECC 1:2 "Vanity of vanities," says the
Preacher, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity."
ECC 1:3 What advantage does man have in all
his work Which he does under the sun?
ECC 1:4 A generation goes and a generation
comes, But the earth remains forever.
ECC 1:5 Also, the sun rises and the sun sets;
And hastening to its place it rises there again.
ECC 1:6 Blowing toward the south, Then
turning toward the north, The wind continues
swirling along; And on its circular courses the wind
returns.
ECC 1:7 All the rivers flow into the sea, Yet
the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers
flow, There they flow again.
ECC 1:8 All things are wearisome; Man is not
able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with
seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
ECC 1:9 That which has been is that which
will be, And that which has been done is that which
will be done. So, there is nothing new under the
sun.
ECC 1:10 Is there anything of which one might
say, "See this, it is new"? Already it has existed
for ages Which were before us.
ECC 1:11 There is no remembrance of earlier
things; And also of the later things which will
occur, There will be for them no remembrance Among
those who will come later still.
ECC 1:12 I, the Preacher, have been king over
Israel in Jerusalem.
ECC 1:13 And I set my mind to seek and
explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done
under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has
given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.
ECC 1:14 I have seen all the works which have
been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity
and striving after wind.
ECC 1:15 What is crooked cannot be
straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
ECC 1:16 I said to myself, "Behold, I have
magnified and increased wisdom more than all who
were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has
observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge."
ECC 1:17 And I set my mind to know wisdom and
to know madness and folly; I realized that this also
is striving after wind.
ECC 1:18 Because in much wisdom there is much
grief, and increasing knowledge results in
increasing pain.
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ECC 2:1 I said to
myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So
enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility.
ECC 2:2 I said of laughter, "It is madness,"
and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"
ECC 2:3 I explored with my mind how to
stimulate my body with wine while my mind was
guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly,
until I could see what good there is for the sons of
men to do under heaven the few years of their lives.
ECC 2:4 I enlarged my works: I built houses
for myself, I planted vineyards for myself;
ECC 2:5 I made gardens and parks for myself,
and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees;
ECC 2:6 I made ponds of water for myself from
which to irrigate a forest of growing trees.
ECC 2:7 I bought male and female slaves, and
I had homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and
herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem.
ECC 2:8 Also, I collected for myself silver
and gold, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I
provided for myself male and female singers and the
pleasures of men - - many concubines.
ECC 2:9 Then I became great and increased
more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My
wisdom also stood by me.
ECC 2:10 And all that my eyes desired I did
not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from
any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of
all my labor and this was my reward for all my
labor.
ECC 2:11 Thus I considered all my activities
which my hands had done and the labor which I had
exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving
after wind and there was no profit under the sun.
ECC 2:12 So I turned to consider wisdom,
madness and folly, for what will the man do who will
come after the king except what has already been
done?
ECC 2:13 And I saw that wisdom excels folly
as light excels darkness.
ECC 2:14 The wise man's eyes are in his head,
but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that
one fate befalls them both.
ECC 2:15 Then I said to myself, "As is the
fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then
have I been extremely wise?" So I said to myself,
"This too is vanity."
ECC 2:16 For there is no lasting remembrance
of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the
coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise
man and the fool alike die!
ECC 2:17 So I hated life, for the work which
had been done under the sun was grievous to me;
because everything is futility and striving after
wind.
ECC 2:18 Thus I hated all the fruit of my
labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I
must leave it to the man who will come after me.
ECC 2:19 And who knows whether he will be a
wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over
all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored
by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity.
ECC 2:20 Therefore I completely despaired of
all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored
under the sun.
ECC 2:21 When there is a man who has labored
with wisdom, knowledge and skill, then he gives his
legacy to one who has not labored with them. This
too is vanity and a great evil.
ECC 2:22 For what does a man get in all his
labor and in his striving with which he labors under
the sun?
ECC 2:23 Because all his days his task is
painful and grievous; even at night his mind does
not rest. This too is vanity.
ECC 2:24 There is nothing better for a man
than to eat and drink and tell himself that his
labor is good. This also I have seen, that it is
from the hand of God.
ECC 2:25 For who can eat and who can have
enjoyment without Him?
ECC 2:26 For to a person who is good in His
sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy,
while to the sinner He has given the task of
gathering and collecting so that he may give to one
who is good in God's sight. This too is vanity and
striving after wind.
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ECC 3:1 There is
an appointed time for everything. And there is a
time for every event under heaven - -
ECC 3:2 A time to give birth, and a time to
die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is
planted.
ECC 3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; A
time to tear down, and a time to build up.
ECC 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
ECC 3:5 A time to throw stones, and a time to
gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun
embracing.
ECC 3:6 A time to search, and a time to give
up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw
away.
ECC 3:7 A time to tear apart, and a time to
sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to
speak.
ECC 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; A
time for war, and a time for peace.
ECC 3:9 What profit is there to the worker
from that in which he toils?
ECC 3:10 I have seen the task which God has
given the sons of men with whic
h to occupy themselves. ECC 3:11 He has made
everything appropriate in its time. He has also set
eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not
find out the work which God has done from the
beginning even to the end.
ECC 3:12 I know that there is nothing better
for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's
lifetime;
ECC 3:13 moreover, that every man who eats
and drinks sees good in all his labor - - it is the
gift of God.
ECC 3:14 I know that everything God does will
remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and
there is nothing to take from it, for God has so
worked that men should fear Him.
ECC 3:15 That which is has been already, and
that which will be has already been, for God seeks
what has passed by.
ECC 3:16 Furthermore, I have seen under the
sun that in the place of justice there is
wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there
is wickedness.
ECC 3:17 I said to myself, "God will judge
both the righteous man and the wicked man," for a
time for every matter and for every deed is there.
ECC 3:18 I said to myself concerning the sons
of men, "God has surely tested them in order for
them to see that they are but beasts."
ECC 3:19 For the fate of the sons of men and
the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies
the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and
there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is
vanity.
ECC 3:20 All go to the same place. All came
from the dust and all return to the dust.
ECC 3:21 Who knows that the breath of man
ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends
downward to the earth?
ECC 3:22 And I have seen that nothing is
better than that man should be happy in his
activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring
him to see what will occur after him?
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ECC 4:1 Then I
looked again at all the acts of oppression which
were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the
tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to
comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors
was power, but they had no one to comfort them.
ECC 4:2 So I congratulated the dead who are
already dead more than the living who are still
living.
ECC 4:3 But better off than both of them is
the one who has never existed, who has never seen
the evil activity that is done under the sun.
ECC 4:4 And I have seen that every labor and
every skill which is done is the result of rivalry
between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity
and striving after wind.
ECC 4:5 The fool folds his hands and consumes
his own flesh.
ECC 4:6 One hand full of rest is better than
two fists full of labor and striving after wind.
ECC 4:7 Then I looked again at vanity under
the sun.
ECC 4:8 There was a certain man without a
dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet
there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes
were not satisfied with riches and he never asked,
"And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of
pleasure?" This too is vanity and it is a grievous
task.
ECC 4:9 Two are better than one because they
have a good return for their labor.
ECC 4:10 For if either of them falls, the one
will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who
falls when there is not another to lift him up.
ECC 4:11 Furthermore, if two lie down
together they keep warm, but how can one be warm
alone?
ECC 4:12 And if one can overpower him who is
alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands
is not quickly torn apart.
ECC 4:13 A poor, yet wise lad is better than
an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to
receive instruction.
ECC 4:14 For he has come out of prison to
become king, even though he was born poor in his
kingdom.
ECC 4:15 I have seen all the living under the
sun throng to the side of the second lad who
replaces him.
ECC 4:16 There is no end to all the people,
to all who were before them, and even the ones who
will come later will not be happy with him, for this
too is vanity and striving after wind.
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ECC 5:1 Guard
your steps as you go to the house of God, and draw
near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of
fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.
ECC 5:2 Do not be hasty in word or impulsive
in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of
God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth;
therefore let your words be few.
ECC 5:3 For the dream comes through much
effort, and the voice of a fool through many words.
ECC 5:4 When you make a vow to God, do not be
late in paying it, for He takes no delight in fools.
Pay what you vow!
ECC 5:5 It is better that you should not vow
than that you should vow and not pay.
ECC 5:6 Do not let your speech cause you to
sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger
of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be
angry on account of your voice and destroy the work
of your hands?
ECC 5:7 For in many dreams and in many words
there is emptiness. Rather, fear God.
ECC 5:8 If you see oppression of the poor and
denial of justice and righteousness in the province,
do not be shocked at the sight, for one official
watches over another official, and there are higher
officials over them.
ECC 5:9 After all, a king who cultivates the
field is an advantage to the land.
ECC 5:10 He who loves money will not be
satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance
with its income. This too is vanity.
ECC 5:11 When good things increase, those who
consume them increase. So what is the advantage to
their owners except to look on?
ECC 5:12 The sleep of the working man is
pleasant, whether he eats little or much. But the
full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to
sleep.
ECC 5:13 There is a grievous evil which I
have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by
their owner to his hurt.
ECC 5:14 When those riches were lost through
a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then
there was nothing to support him.
ECC 5:15 As he had come naked from his
mother's womb, so will he return as he came. He will
take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can
carry in his hand.
ECC 5:16 And this also is a grievous evil - -
exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So, what
is the advantage to him who toils for the wind?
ECC 5:17 Throughout his life he also eats in
darkness with great vexation, sickness and anger.
ECC 5:18 Here is what I have seen to be good
and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in
all one's labor in which he toils under the sun
during the few years of his life which God has given
him; for this is his reward.
ECC 5:19 Furthermore, as for every man to
whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also
empowered him to eat from them and to receive his
reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of
God.
ECC 5:20 For he will not often consider the
years of his life, because God keeps him occupied
with the gladness of his heart.
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ECC 6:1 There is
an evil which I have seen under the sun and it is
prevalent among men - -
ECC 6:2 a man to whom God has given riches
and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing
of all that he desires, but God has not empowered
him to eat from them, for a foreigner enjoys them.
This is vanity and a severe affliction.
ECC 6:3 If a man fathers a hundred children
and lives many years, however many they be, but his
soul is not satisfied with good things, and he does
not even have a proper burial, then I say, "Better
the miscarriage than he,
ECC 6:4 for it comes in futility and goes
into obscurity; and its name is covered in
obscurity.
ECC 6:5 "It never sees the sun and it never
knows anything; it is better off than he.
ECC 6:6 "Even if the other man lives a
thousand years twice and does not enjoy good things
- - do not all go to one place?"
ECC 6:7 All a man's labor is for his mouth
and yet the appetite is not satisfied.
ECC 6:8 For what advantage does the wise man
have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man
have, knowing how to walk before the living?
ECC 6:9 What the eyes see is better than what
the soul desires. This too is futility and a
striving after wind.
ECC 6:10 Whatever exists has already been
named, and it is known what man is; for he cannot
dispute with him who is stronger than he is.
ECC 6:11 For there are many words which
increase futility. What then is the advantage to a
man?
ECC 6:12 For who knows what is good for a man
during his lifetime, during the few years of his
futile life? He will spend them like a shadow. For
who can tell a man what will be after him under the
sun?
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ECC 7:1 A good
name is better than a good ointment, And the day of
one's death is better than the day of one's birth.
ECC 7:2 It is better to go to a house of
mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because
that is the end of every man, And the living takes
it to heart.
ECC 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter, For
when a face is sad a heart may be happy.
ECC 7:4 The mind of the wise is in the house
of mourning, While the mind of fools is in the house
of pleasure.
ECC 7:5 It is better to listen to the rebuke
of a wise man Than for one to listen to the song of
fools.
ECC 7:6 For as the crackling of thorn bushes
under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool, And
this too is futility.
ECC 7:7 For oppression makes a wise man mad,
And a bribe corrupts the heart.
ECC 7:8 The end of a matter is better than
its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than
haughtiness of spirit.
ECC 7:9 Do not be eager in your heart to be
angry, For anger resides in the bosom of fools.
ECC 7:10 Do not say, "Why is it that the
former days were better than these?" For it is not
from wisdom that you ask about this.
ECC 7:11 Wisdom along with an inheritance is
good And an advantage to those who see the sun.
ECC 7:12 For wisdom is protection just as
money is protection. But the advantage of knowledge
is that wisdom preserves the lives of its
possessors.
ECC 7:13 Consider the work of God, For who is
able to straighten what He has bent?
ECC 7:14 In the day of prosperity be happy,
But in the day of adversity consider - - God has
made the one as well as the other So that man may
not discover anything that will be after him.
ECC 7:15 I have seen everything during my
lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who
perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked
man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.
ECC 7:16 Do not be excessively righteous, and
do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?
ECC 7:17 Do not be excessively wicked, and do
not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
ECC 7:18 It is good that you grasp one thing,
and also not let go of the other; for the one who
fears God comes forth with both of them.
ECC 7:19 Wisdom strengthens a wise man more
than ten rulers who are in a city.
ECC 7:20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man
on earth who continually does good and who never
sins.
ECC 7:21 Also, do not take seriously all
words which are spoken, lest you hear your servant
cursing you.
ECC 7:22 For you also have realized that you
likewise have many times cursed others.
ECC 7:23 I tested all this with wisdom, and I
said, "I will be wise," but it was far from me.
ECC 7:24 What has been is remote and
exceedingly mysterious. Who can discover it?
ECC 7:25 I directed my mind to know, to
investigate, and to seek wisdom and an explanation,
and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of
madness.
ECC 7:26 And I discovered more bitter than
death the woman whose heart is snares and nets,
whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God
will escape from her, but the sinner will be
captured by her.
ECC 7:27 "Behold, I have discovered this,"
says the Preacher, "adding one thing to another to
find an explanation,
ECC 7:28 which I am still seeking but have
not found. I have found one man among a thousand,
but I have not found a woman among all these.
ECC 7:29 "Behold, I have found only this,
that God made men upright, but they have sought out
many devices."
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ECC 8:1 Who is
like the wise man and who knows the interpretation
of a matter? A man's wisdom illumines him and causes
his stern face to beam.
ECC 8:2 I say, "Keep the command of the king
because of the oath before God.
ECC 8:3 "Do not be in a hurry to leave him.
Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do
whatever he pleases."
ECC 8:4 Since the word of the king is
authoritative, who will say to him, "What are you
doing?"
ECC 8:5 He who keeps a royal command
experiences no trouble, for a wise heart knows the
proper time and procedure.
ECC 8:6 For there is a proper time and
procedure for every delight, when a man's trouble is
heavy upon him.
ECC 8:7 If no one knows what will happen, who
can tell him when it will happen?
ECC 8:8 No man has authority to restrain the
wind with the wind, or authority over the day of
death; and there is no discharge in the time of war,
and evil will not deliver those who practice it.
ECC 8:9 All this I have seen and applied my
mind to every deed that has been done under the sun
wherein a man has exercised authority over another
man to his hurt.
ECC 8:10 So then, I have seen the wicked
buried, those who used to go in and out from the
holy place, and they are soon forgotten in the city
where they did thus. This too is futility.
ECC 8:11 Because the sentence against an evil
deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts
of the sons of men among them are given fully to do
evil.
ECC 8:12 Although a sinner does evil a
hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I
know that it will be well for those who fear God,
who fear Him openly.
ECC 8:13 But it will not be well for the evil
man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow,
because he does not fear God.
ECC 8:14 There is futility which is done on
the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom
it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On
the other hand, there are evil men to whom it
happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I
say that this too is futility.
ECC 8:15 So I commended pleasure, for there
is nothing good for a man under the sun except to
eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will
stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his
life which God has given him under the sun.
ECC 8:16 When I gave my heart to know wisdom
and to see the task which has been done on the earth
(even though one should never sleep day or night),
ECC 8:17 and I saw every work of God, I
concluded that man cannot discover the work which
has been done under the sun. Even though man should
seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though
the wise man should say, "I know," he cannot
discover.
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ECC 9:1 For I
have taken all this to my heart and explain it that
righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the
hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be
love or hatred; anything awaits him.
ECC 9:2 It is the same for all. There is one
fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the
good, for the clean, and for the unclean; for the
man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does
not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner;
as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to
swear.
ECC 9:3 This is an evil in all that is done
under the sun, that there is one fate for all men.
Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full
of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout
their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.
ECC 9:4 For whoever is joined with all the
living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better
than a dead lion.
ECC 9:5 For the living know they will die;
but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any
longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.
ECC 9:6 Indeed their love, their hate, and
their zeal have already perished, and they will no
longer have a share in all that is done under the
sun.
ECC 9:7 Go then, eat your bread in happiness,
and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God
has already approved your works.
ECC 9:8 Let your clothes be #663300 all the
time, and let not oil be lacking on your head.
ECC 9:9 Enjoy life with the woman whom you
love all the days of your fleeting life which He has
given to you under the sun; for this is your reward
in life, and in your toil in which you have labored
under the sun.
ECC 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do,
verily, do it with all your might; for there is no
activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol
where you are going.
ECC 9:11 I again saw under the sun that the
race is not to the swift, and the battle is not to
the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise, nor
wealth to the discerning, nor favor to men of
ability; for time and chance overtake them all.
ECC 9:12 Moreover, man does not know his
time: like fish caught in a treacherous net, and
birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are
ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on
them.
ECC 9:13 Also this I came to see as wisdom
under the sun, and it impressed me.
ECC 9:14 There was a small city with few men
in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it,
and constructed large siegeworks against it.
ECC 9:15 But there was found in it a poor
wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom.
Yet no one remembered that poor man.
ECC 9:16 So I said, "Wisdom is better than
strength." But the wisdom of the poor man is
despised and his words are not heeded.
ECC 9:17 The words of the wise heard in
quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler
among fools.
ECC 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of
war, but one sinner destroys much good.
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ECC 10:1 Dead
flies make a perfumer's oil stink, so a little
foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor.
ECC 10:2 A wise man's heart directs him
toward the right, but the foolish man's heart
directs him toward the left.
ECC 10:3 Even when the fool walks along the
road his sense is lacking, and he demonstrates to
everyone that he is a fool.
ECC 10:4 If the ruler's temper rises against
you, do not abandon your position, because composure
allays great offenses.
ECC 10:5 There is an evil I have seen under
the sun, like an error which goes forth from the
ruler - -
ECC 10:6 folly is set in many exalted places
while rich men sit in humble places.
ECC 10:7 I have seen slaves riding on horses
and princes walking like slaves on the land.
ECC 10:8 He who digs a pit may fall into it,
and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a
wall.
ECC 10:9 He who quarries stones may be hurt
by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by
them.
ECC 10:10 If the axe is dull and he does not
sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength.
Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.
ECC 10:11 If the serpent bites before being
charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.
ECC 10:12 Words from the mouth of a wise man
are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him;
ECC 10:13 the beginning of his talking is
folly, and the end of it is wicked madness.
ECC 10:14 Yet the fool multiplies words. No
man knows what will happen, and who can tell him
what will come after him?
ECC 10:15 The toil of a fool so wearies him
that he does not even know how to go to a city.
ECC 10:16 Woe to you, O land, whose king is a
lad and whose princes feast in the morning.
ECC 10:17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king
is of nobility and whose princes eat at the
appropriate time - - for strength, and not for
drunkenness.
ECC 10:18 Through indolence the rafters sag,
and through slackness the house leaks.
ECC 10:19 Men prepare a meal for enjoyment,
and wine makes life merry, and money is the answer
to everything.
ECC 10:20 Furthermore, in your bedchamber do
not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not
curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will
carry the sound, and the winged creature will make
the matter known.
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ECC 11:1 Cast
your bread on the surface of the waters, for you
will find it after many days.
ECC 11:2 Divide your portion to seven, or
even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune
may occur on the earth.
ECC 11:3 If the clouds are full, they pour
out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls
toward the south or toward the north, wherever the
tree falls, there it lies.
ECC 11:4 He who watches the wind will not sow
and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.
ECC 11:5 Just as you do not know the path of
the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the
pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of
God who makes all things.
ECC 11:6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do
not be idle in the evening, for you do not know
whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or
whether both of them alike will be good.
ECC 11:7 The light is pleasant, and it is
good for the eyes to see the sun.
ECC 11:8 Indeed, if a man should live many
years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him
remember the days of darkness, for they shall be
many. Everything that is to come will be futility.
ECC 11:9 Rejoice, young man, during your
childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the
days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of
your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know
that God will bring you to judgment for all these
things.
ECC 11:10 So, remove vexation from your heart
and put away pain from your body, because childhood
and the prime of life are fleeting.
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ECC 12:1 Remember
also your Creator in the days of your youth, before
the evil days come and the years draw near when you
will say, "I have no delight in them";
ECC 12:2 before the sun, the light, the moon,
and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after
the rain;
ECC 12:3 in the day that the watchmen of the
house tremble, and mighty men stoop, the grinding
ones stand idle because they are few, and those who
look through windows grow dim;
ECC 12:4 and the doors on the street are shut
as the sound of the grinding mill is low, and one
will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the
daughters of song will sing softly.
ECC 12:5 Furthermore, men are afraid of a
high place and of terrors on the road; the almond
tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along,
and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to
his eternal home while mourners go about in the
street.
ECC 12:6 Remember Him before the silver cord
is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the
pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at
the cistern is crushed;
ECC 12:7 then the dust will return to the
earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God
who gave it.
ECC 12:8 "Vanity of vanities," says the
Preacher, "all is vanity!"
ECC 12:9 In addition to being a wise man, the
Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he
pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs.
ECC 12:10 The Preacher sought to find
delightful words and to write words of truth
correctly.
ECC 12:11 The words of wise men are like
goads, and masters of these collections are like
well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd.
ECC 12:12 But beyond this, my son, be warned:
the writing of many books is endless, and excessive
devotion to books is wearying to the body.
ECC 12:13 The conclusion, when all has been
heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments,
because this applies to every person.
ECC 12:14 For God will bring every act to
judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is
good or evil.
