Ecclesiastes 12:4-14 in English

⁴ and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

⁵ yea, they shall be afraid of that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets:

⁶ before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,

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

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

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

¹⁰ The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads; and as nails well fastened are the words of the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

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

⁴ and they shall shut the doors in the market-place, because of the weakness of the voice of her that grinds at the mill; and he shall rise up at the voice of the sparrow, and all the daughters of song shall be brought low;

⁵ and they shall look up, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the locust shall increase, and the caper shall be scattered: because man has gone to his eternal home, and the mourners have gone about the market:

⁶ before the silver cord be let go, or the choice gold be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel run down to the cistern;

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

⁸ Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher; all is vanity.

⁹ And because the Preacher was wise above others, so it was that he taught man excellent knowledge, and the ear will trace out the parables.

¹⁰ The Preacher sought diligently to find out acceptable words, and a correct writing, even words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails firmly fastened, which have been given from one shepherd by agreement.

¹² And moreover, my son, guard thyself by means of them: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ Hear the end of the matter, the sum: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole man.

¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment, with everything that has been overlooked, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

⁴ And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;

⁵ Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

⁶ Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

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

⁸ Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

⁹ And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

¹⁰ The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

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

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

⁴ And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;

⁵ Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

⁶ Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

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

⁸ Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

⁹ And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

¹⁰ The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

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

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

⁴ and they shall shut the doors in the marketplace, because of the weakness of the voice of her that grinds at the mill; and he shall rise up at the voice of the sparrow, and all the daughters of song shall be brought low;

⁵ and they shall look up, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the locust shall increase, and the caper shall be scattered: because man has gone to his eternal home, and the mourners have gone about the market:

⁶ before the silver cord be let go, or the choice gold be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel run down to the cistern;

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

⁸ Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher; all is vanity.

⁹ And because the Preacher was wise above others, so it was that he taught man excellent knowledge, and the ear will trace out the parables.

¹⁰ The Preacher sought diligently to find out acceptable words, and a correct writing, even words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails firmly fastened, which have been given from one shepherd by agreement.

¹² And moreover, my son, guard yourself by means of them: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ Hear the end of the matter, the sun: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole man.

¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment, with everything that has been overlooked, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

⁴ and the door shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

⁵ yea, they shall be afraid of that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way; and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and the caper-berry shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

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

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

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

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

¹⁰ The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails well fastened are the words of the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

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

⁴ Your ears MET will not hear the noise in the streets, and you will not be able to hear clearly the sound of people grinding grain with millstones. You will be awakened in the morning by hearing the birds singing/chirping, but you will not be able to hear well the songs that ◄the birds/people► sing.

⁵ You will be afraid to be in high places and afraid of dangers on the roads that you walk on. Your hair will become white like MET the flowers of almond trees. When you try to walk, you will drag yourself along like MET grasshoppers, and you will no longer desire to have sex. Then you will die and go to your eternal home, and people who will mourn for you will be in the streets.

⁶ Think much about God now, because soon our lives will end, like MET silver chains or golden bowls that break easily, or like pitchers/jugs that are broken at the water fountain, or like broken pulleys at a well.

⁷ Then our corpses will decay and become dirt again, and our spirits will return to God, the one who gave us our spirits.

⁸ So I say again that it is difficult to understand why everything happens; everything is mysterious.

⁹ I was considered to be a very wise man, and I taught the people many things. I assembled/collected and wrote down many proverbs, and I carefully thought about and studied them.

¹⁰ I searched for the right words, and what I have written is reliable and true.

¹¹ The things that I and other wise people say teach people what they should do; they are like SIM ◄goads/sharp sticks that people use to strike animals to direct where they should go►. They are like SIM nails that stick out of pieces of wood. They are given to us by God, who is like MET our shepherd.

¹² So, my son, pay careful attention to what I have written, and choose carefully what you read that others have written, because writing proverbs/books is endless, and trying to study them all will cause you to become exhausted.

¹³ Now you have heard all that I have told you, and here is the conclusion: Revere God, and obey his commandments, because those commandments summarize everything that people should do.

¹⁴ And do not forget that God will judge everything that we do, good things and bad things, even things that we do secretly.

⁴ and they shall shut the doors in the marketplace, because of the weakness of the voice of her that grinds at the mill; and he shall rise up at the voice of the sparrow, and all the daughters of song shall be brought low;

⁵ and they shall look up, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the locust shall increase, and the caper shall be scattered: because man has gone to his eternal home, and the mourners have gone about the market:

⁶ before the silver cord be let go, or the choice gold be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel run down to the cistern;

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

⁸ Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher; all is vanity.

⁹ And because the Preacher was wise above others, so it was that he taught man excellent knowledge, and the ear will trace out the parables.

¹⁰ The Preacher sought diligently to find out acceptable words, and a correct writing, even words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails firmly fastened, which have been given from one shepherd by agreement.

¹² And moreover, my son, guard yourself by means of them: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ Hear the end of the matter, the sun: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole man.

¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgement, with everything that has been overlooked, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

⁴ and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

⁵ yes, they shall be afraid of heights, and terrors will be on the way; and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goes to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets;

⁶ before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the spring, or the wheel broken at the cistern,

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

⁸ “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher. “All is vanity!”

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

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

¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.

⁴ and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

⁵ yes, they shall be afraid of heights, and terrors will be on the way; and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goes to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets;

⁶ before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the spring, or the wheel broken at the cistern,

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

⁸ “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher. “All is vanity!”

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

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

¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.

⁴ and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

⁵ yes, they shall be afraid of heights, and terrors will be on the way; and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goes to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets;

⁶ before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the spring, or the wheel broken at the cistern,

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

⁸ “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher. “All is vanity!”

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

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

¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgement, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.

⁴ When the doors are shut in the street, and the sound of the crushing is low, and the voice of the bird is soft, and the daughters of music will be made low;

⁵ And he is in fear of that which is high, and danger is in the road, and the tree is white with flower, and the least thing is a weight, and desire is at an end, because man goes to his last resting-place, and those who are sorrowing are in the streets;

⁶ Before ever the silver cord is cut, or the vessel of gold is broken, or the pot is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the water-hole;

⁷ And the dust goes back to the earth as it was, and the spirit goes back to God who gave it.

⁸ All things are to no purpose, says the Preacher, all is to no purpose.

⁹ And because the Preacher was wise he still gave the people knowledge; searching out, testing, and putting in order a great number of wise sayings.

¹⁰ The Preacher made search for words which were pleasing, but his writing was in words upright and true.

¹¹ The words of the wise are pointed, and sayings grouped together are like nails fixed with a hammer; they are given by one guide.

¹² And further, my son, take note of this: of the making of books there is no end, and much learning is a weariness to the flesh.

¹³ This is the last word. All has been said. Have fear of God and keep his laws; because this is right for every man.

¹⁴ God will be judge of every work, with every secret thing, good or evil.

⁴ and 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;

⁵ they 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;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁴ And they shall shut the doors in the street, when the grinder’s voice shall be low, and they shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall grow deaf.

⁵ And they shall fear high things, and they shall be afraid in the way, the almond tree shall flourish, the locust shall be made fat, and the caper tree shall be destroyed: because man shall go into the house of his eternity, and the mourners shall go round about in the street.

⁶ Before the silver cord be broken, and the golden fillet shrink back, and the pitcher be crushed at the fountain, and the wheel be broken upon the cistern,

⁷ And the dust return into its earth, from whence it was, and the spirit return to God, who gave it.

⁸ Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, and all things are vanity.

⁹ And whereas Ecclesiastes was very wise, he taught the people, and declared the things that he had done: and seeking out, he set forth many parables.

¹⁰ He sought profitable words, and wrote words most right, and full of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails deeply fastened in, which by the counsel of masters are given from one shepherd.

¹² More than these, my son, require not. Of making many books there is no end: and much study is an affliction of the flesh.

¹³ Let us all hear together the conclusion of the discourse. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is all man:

¹⁴ And all things that are done, God will bring into judgment for every error, whether it be good or evil.

⁴ and the doors to the street are shut. Before the sound of the grinding mill grows low, and you wake up early when the birds are singing, but you can hardly hear them.

⁵ Before you develop a fear of heights and worry about going out on the streets; when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper crawls along, and desire fails, for everyone has to go to their eternal home as the mourners go up and down the street.

⁶ Before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is broken; before the water jug is smashed at the spring, or the pulley is broken at the well.

⁷ Then the dust returns to the earth from which it came, and the breath of life returns to God who gave it.

⁸ “Everything passes! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.

⁹ Not only was the Teacher a wise man, he also taught what he knew to others. He thought about many proverbs, studying them and arranging them.

¹⁰ The Teacher looked for the best way to explain things, writing truthfully and honestly.

¹¹ The words of the wise are like cattle prods. Their collected sayings are like nails driven home, given by one shepherd.

¹² In addition, my student, take care, for there's no end to book writing, and too much study wears you out.

¹³ To sum up now that everything has been discussed: Respect God by keeping his commandments, for that's what everyone should do.

¹⁴ God is going to judge us for everything we do, including what we do secretly, whether good or bad.

⁴ And the doores shall be shut without by the base sound of the grinding, and he shall rise vp at the voice of the birde: and all the daughters of singing shall be abased.

⁵ Also they shalbe afraide of the hie thing, and feare shalbe in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grassehopper shall be a burden, and concupiscence shall be driuen away: for man goeth to the house of his age, and the mourners goe about in the streete.

⁶ Whiles the siluer coarde is not lengthened, nor the golden ewer broken, nor the pitcher broken at the well, nor the wheele broken at the cisterne:

⁷ And dust returne to the earth as it was, and the spirit returne to God that gaue it.

⁸ Vanitie of vanities, saieth the Preacher, all is vanitie.

⁹ And the more wise the Preacher was, the more he taught the people knowledge, and caused them to heare, and searched foorth, and prepared many parables.

¹⁰ The Preacher sought to finde out pleasant wordes, and an vpright writing, euen the wordes of trueth.

¹¹ The wordes of the wise are like goads, and like nailes fastened by the masters of the assemblies, which are giuen by one pastour.

¹² And of other things beside these, my sone, take thou heede: for there is none ende in making many bookes, and much reading is a wearines of the flesh.

¹³ Let vs heare the end of all: feare God and keepe his commandements: for this is the whole duetie of man.

¹⁴ For God will bring euery worke vnto iudgement, with euery secret thing, whether it be good or euill.

⁴ And the doors shall be shut in the street, when the sound of the grinding is low; and one shall start up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

⁵ Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall drag itself along, and the caperberry shall fail; because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets;

⁶ Before the silver cord is snapped asunder, and the golden bowl is shattered, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel falleth shattered, into the pit;

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

⁸ Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth; all is vanity.

⁹ And besides that Koheleth was wise, he also taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

¹⁰ Koheleth sought to find out words of delight, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails well fastened are those that are composed in collections; they are given from one shepherd.

¹² And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole man.

¹⁴ For God shall bring every work into the judgment concerning every hidden thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.

⁴ and the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;

⁵ also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

⁶ or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

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

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

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

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

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

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

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

⁴ And when the two doors on the streets will be locked, while the sound of the mill becometh dull, and man riseth up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low;

⁵ Also when men will be afraid of every elevation, and are terrified on every way, and the almond-tree will refuse its blossom, and the locust will drag itself slowly along, and the desire will gainsay compliance; because man goeth to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets;

⁶ While the silver cord is not yet torn loose, and the golden bowl is not crushed, and the pitcher is not broken at the fountain, and the wheel is not crushed at the cistern;

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

⁸ Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth: all is vanity.—

⁹ And in addition to this that Koheleth was wise, he continually also taught the people knowledge, and he probed, and searched out, and composed many proverbs.

¹⁰ Koheleth sought to find out acceptable words, and that which would be written down uprightly, even words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails fastened are the words of the men of the assemblies, which are given by one shepherd.

¹² But more than all these, my son, take warning for thyself: the making of many books would have no end; and much preaching is a weariness of the flesh.

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

¹⁴ For every deed will God bring into the judgment concerning every thing that hath been hidden, whether it be good, or whether it be bad.

⁴ And they shall shut the doors in the marketplace, Because of the weakness of the voice of her that grinds at the mill; And he shall rise up at the voice of the sparrow, And all the daughters of song shall be brought low;

⁵ And they shall look up, and fears shall be in the way, And the almond tree shall blossom, And the locust shall increase, And the caper shall be scattered: Because man has gone to his eternal home, And the mourners have gone about the market:

⁶ Before the silver cord be let go, Or the choice gold be broken, Or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, Or the wheel run down to the cistern;

⁷ Before the dust also return to the earth as it was, And the spirit return to God who gave it.

⁸ Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher; All is vanity.

⁹ And because the Preacher was wise above others, So it was that he taught man excellent knowledge, And the ear will trace out the parables.

¹⁰ The Preacher sought diligently To find out acceptable words, And a correct writing, even words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads, And as nails firmly fastened, Which have been given from one shepherd by agreement.

¹² And moreover, my son, guard thyself by means of them: Of making many books there is no end; And much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ Hear the end of the matter, the sum: Fear God, and keep his commandments: For this is the whole man.

¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment, With everything that has been overlooked, Whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

⁴ when the doors are shut in the streets, while the sound of the mill is low; when they rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music are brought low;

⁵ when also they are afraid of that which is high, and terrors are in the way, and the almond is despised, and the locust is a burden, and the caper-berry is powerless; since man goeth to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets;—

⁶ before the silver cord be snapped asunder, and the golden bowl be crushed, or the bucket broken at the fountain, or the wheel shattered at the well,

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

⁸ Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity!

⁹ Moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he considered, and sought out, and set in order, many proverbs.

¹⁰ The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and to write correctly words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads; yea, as nails driven in are the words of members of assemblies, given by one shepherd.

¹² And, moreover, by these, my son, be warned! To the multiplying of books there is no end, and much study wearieth the flesh.

¹³ Let us hear the end of the whole discourse! Fear God and keep his commandments! For this is the duty of every man.

¹⁴ For God will bring every work into the judgment which there is upon every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

⁴ That will be the time when the doors are shut in the street, and the sound of grinding stops, when men are startled at the voice of a bird, and the singing of girls' voices fades away.

⁵ That will be the time when men become afraid of heights and of dangers along on the road, and when the almond tree blossoms, and when grasshoppers drag themselves along, and when natural desires fail. Then man goes to his eternal home and the mourners go down the streets.

⁶ Call to mind your Creator before the silver cord is cut, or the golden bowl is crushed, or the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the water wheel is broken at the well,

⁷ before the dust returns to the earth where it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

⁸ “A mist of vapor,” says the Teacher, “everything is vanishing vapor.”

⁹ The Teacher was wise and he taught the people knowledge. He studied and contemplated and set in order many proverbs.

¹⁰ The Teacher sought to write using vivid, upright words of truth.

¹¹ The words of wise people are like goads. Like nails driven deeply are the words of the masters in collections of their proverbs, which are taught by one shepherd.

¹² My son, be aware of something more: the making of many books, which has no end and much study brings weariness to the body.

¹³ The end of the matter after everything has been heard, is that you must fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of mankind.

¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

⁴ and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

⁵ yes, they shall be afraid of heights, and terrors will be on the way; and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goes to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets;

⁶ before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the spring, or the wheel broken at the cistern,

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

⁸ “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher. “All is vanity!”

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

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

¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.

⁴ and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

⁵ yes, they shall be afraid of heights, and terrors will be on the way; and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goes to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets;

⁶ before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the spring, or the wheel broken at the cistern,

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

⁸ “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher. “All is vanity!”

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

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

¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgement, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.

⁴ And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding shall be low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low.

⁵ Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

⁶ Or ever the silver cord shall be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

⁷ Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.

⁸ Vanity of vanities saith the preacher; all is vanity.

⁹ And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge: yes, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

¹⁰ The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

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

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

⁴ and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

⁵ yes, they shall be afraid of heights, and terrors will be on the way; and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goes to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets;

⁶ before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the spring, or the wheel broken at the cistern,

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

⁸ “Vanity of vanities,” says Kohelet. “All is vanity!”

⁹ Further, because Kohelet was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yes, he pondered, sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

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

¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.

⁴ and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

⁵ yes, they shall be afraid of heights, and terrors will be on the way; and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goes to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets;

⁶ before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the spring, or the wheel broken at the cistern,

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

⁸ “Vanity of vanities,” says Kohelet. “All is vanity!”

⁹ Further, because Kohelet was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yes, he pondered, sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

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

¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgement, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.

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

⁵ And high things shall dread, and shall be afeared in the way; and an almond tree shall flower, a locust shall be made fat, and capers shall be destroyed; for a man shall go into the house of his everlastingness, and wailers shall go about in the street.

⁶ Have 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 altogether on the cistern;

⁷ and dust turn again into his earth, whereof it was, and the spirit turn again to God, that gave it.

⁸ The 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.

⁹ And when 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;

¹⁰ he sought profitable words, and he wrote most rightful or right words, and full of truth.

¹¹ The words of wise men be as pricks, and as nails fastened deep, which be given of one shepherd by the counsels of masters.

¹² My son, seek thou no more than these; none end there is to make many books, and oft thinking is torment of the flesh.

¹³ All we hear together the end of speaking. Dread thou God, and keep his behests; that is to know, every man.

¹⁴ God shall bring all things into doom, that be done; for each thing covered, either privy, whether it be good, or evil.

⁴ and (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.

⁵ And 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.

⁶ Have 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;)

⁷ and 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.)

⁸ The 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.)

⁹ And 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;

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

¹¹ The 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.)

¹² My 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.)

¹³ All 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.)

¹⁴ God 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.)

⁴ And doors have been shut in the street. When the noise of the grinding is low, And one riseth at the voice of the bird, And all daughters of song are bowed down.

⁵ Also of that which is high they are afraid, And of the low places in the way, And the almond-tree is despised, And the grasshopper is become a burden, And want is increased, For man is going unto his home age-during, And the mourners have gone round through the street.

⁶ While that the silver cord is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.

⁷ And the dust returneth to the earth as it was, And the spirit returneth to God who gave it.

⁸ Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole is vanity.

⁹ And further, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge, and gave ear, and sought out — he made right many similes.

¹⁰ The preacher sought to find out pleasing words, and, written by the upright, words of truth.

¹¹ Words of the wise are as goads, and as fences planted by the masters of collections, they have been given by one shepherd.

¹² And further, from these, my son, be warned; the making of many books hath no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ The end of the whole matter let us hear: — 'Fear God, and keep His commands, for this is the whole of man.

¹⁴ For every work doth God bring into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or bad.'