Remember Your Creator

1And remember your Creator in the days of your youth,

while the days of evil have not come,

and the years have drawn near when you say,

“No delight for me is in them!”

2While that the sun is not darkened, and the light, and the moon, and the stars,

and the clouds return after the rain,

3in the day the guards of the house tremble,

and the men of strength bow down,

and those gridning cease because they are few,

and those looking out through the windows grow dim,

4and the doors are shut in the streets,

and the sound of the grinding becomes low,

and one rises up at the voice of the bird,

and all the daughters of the song are bent low—

5they are afraid even from height and terrors in the way;

for the almond tree blossoms,

and the grasshopper carries itself along

and the caper berry breaks off,

because man is going to his eternal home,

and those mourning go around in the street—

6while the cord of silver is not snapped

or the bowl of gold broken

or the pitcher shattered at the fountain

or the wheel crushed at the well,

7and the dust returns to the earth as it was,

and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

8“Vapor of vapors,” says the Qoheleth;

“All is vapor!”

The Whole Duty of Man

9And further, Qoheleth, being wise, also did he teach the people knowledge, and he pondered, and he searched, and he arranged many proverbs. 10Qoheleth sought to find words of delight and to record uprightly—words of truth.†

11The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails implanted by the masters of collections, given by one Shepherd.† 12And further, by these my son, be warned: To the making of many books there is no end, and much study is weariness to the flesh.

13The conclusion of the whole of matter has been heard. You shall fear God and keep His commandments—for this is is the whole of the man. 14For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.