Ecclesiastes 12:4-14

⁴and the doors are shut toward the street; when the sound of the grinding is subdued, and they rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low;

⁵they are also afraid of what is high, and terrors are in the way, and the almond is despised, and the grasshopper is a burden, and the caper-berry is without effect; (for man goeth to his age-long home, and the mourners go about the streets;)

⁶— before the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be shattered at the fountain, or the wheel be broken at the cistern;

⁷and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it.

⁸Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher: all is vanity.

⁹And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

¹⁰The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words; and that which was written is upright, words of truth.

¹¹The words of the wise are as goads, and the collections of them as nails fastened in: they are given from one shepherd.

¹²And besides, my son, be warned by them: of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³Let us hear the end of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole of man.

¹⁴For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.