ECCLESIASTES
OR
THE PREACHER

Ecclesiastes 12 ©

The wise man exhorts young men to apply and accustom themselves unto piety before old age comes, v. 1. Which he describes by many comparisons, 2, etc. Hereupon follows the conclusion of this book, that all is vanity, 8. And he concludes that the sum of all learning is this: To fear God and to keep His commandments, 13.

1

REMEMBER1 now 2thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while 3the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

2

4While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not 5darkened, nor 6the clouds return after the rain:

3

In the day when 7the keepers of the house shall tremble, and 8the strong men shall bow themselves, and 9the grinders 10cease because they are 11few, and 12those that look out of the windows be darkened,

4

And 13the doors 14shall be shut 15in the streets, 16when the sound 17of the grinding is low, and 18he 19shall rise up 20at the voice of the bird, and all 21the daughters of musick shall be 22brought low;

5

Also when 23they shall be afraid 24of that which is high, and 25fears shall be in the way, 26and the almond tree shall flourish, 27and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and 28desire shall fail: 29because man goeth 30to his long home, and 31the mourners go about the streets:

6

32Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or 33the golden bowl be broken, or 34the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or 35the wheel broken at the cistern.

7

Thena shall 36the dust return to the earth as it was: and 37the spirit shall return 38unto God 39whob gave it.

8

40Vanityc of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

9

And moreover, because the preacher was wise, 41he still taught the people 42knowledge; yea, he 43gave good heed, and 44sought out, and 45set in order many proverbs.d

10

The preacher sought to find out acceptable 46words: and that which was written was 47upright, even words of truth.

11

48The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails 49fastened by the masters of 50assemblies, 51which are given 52from one shepherd.

12

And further, 53by these, my son, be admonished: 54of making many books there is no end; and 55much study 56is a weariness 57of the flesh.

13

¶Let us 58hear the 59conclusion of the whole matter: Feare60God, and keep his commandments: for 61this is the whole duty of man.

14

Forf God shall bring 62every work 63into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.