Ecclesiastes 12:3-14

³When the (door)keepers of the house shall be moved, and the strongest men shall tremble; and the grinders shall be idle, when the number shall be made less, and seers by the holes shall wax dark; (When the guards of the house shall be shaken, and the strong shall tremble; and the grinders shall be idle, when their number shall be made less, and the eyes of those who see out by the windows shall grow dark, or grow dim;)

⁴and (they) shall close the doors in the street (or and they shall close the doors to the street), in the lowness of the voice of a grinder; and they shall rise (up) at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of song shall wax deaf.

⁵And high things shall dread, and shall be afeared in the way, (or And when they shall fear high places, and shall be afraid to go on the way, or to go out in public); and an almond tree shall flower, a locust shall be made fat, and (the) capers shall be destroyed; for a man shall go into the house of his everlastingness, and wailers shall go about in the street.

⁶Have thou mind on thy Creator, before that a silveren rope be broken, and a golden lace run against, and a water pot be all-broken on the well, and a wheel be broken (al)together on the cistern; (Think thou upon thy Creator, before that the silver rope is broken, and the golden bowl is broken, and the water pot at the well is broken, and the wheel at the cistern is broken, yea, before all is ended;)

⁷and dust turn again into his earth, whereof it was, and the spirit turn again to God, that gave it. (and the dust, or the dirt, return to the earth, where it was before, and the spirit return to God, who gave it.)

⁸The vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, the vanity of vanities, and all things be vanity. Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, vanity of vanities, and all things vanity. (Emptiness and futility, said Ecclesiastes, yea, everything is emptiness and futility.)

⁹And when Ecclesiastes was most wise (or And for Ecclesiastes was most wise), he taught the people, and he told out the things which he did, and he sought out wisdom, and made many parables;

¹⁰he sought (out) profitable words, and he wrote most rightful words, and full of truth.

¹¹The words of wise men be as pricks, and as nails fastened deep, which be given of one shepherd by the counsels of masters. (For the words of the wise be like pricks, and like nails driven deep, for they be given from the one Shepherd for the counsel of us all.)

¹²My son, seek thou no more than these; none end there is to make many books, and oft thinking is (a) torment of the flesh. (My son, seek thou no more than this; for there is no end to the making of many books, and thinking too much will only torment thy flesh.)

¹³All we hear together the end of (the) speaking. Dread thou God, and keep his behests; that is (for) to know, every man. (Hear now the end, or the conclusion, of all this speaking. Fear God or Revere God, and obey his commands; that is for everyone to know.)

¹⁴God shall bring all things into doom, that be done; for each thing covered, either privy, whether it be good, or evil. (For God shall bring all that is done to the judgement; even each thing that is covered, or is done in secret, or privately, whether it be good, or evil.)