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and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
2 before the sun and the light
and the moon and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds return after the rain;
3 on the day when the guardians of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop;
when the women who grind at the mill cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows grow dim;
4 when the doors to the street are shut
and the sound of grinding fades;
when men rise up at the sound of a bird,
and all the daughters of song grow faint;
5 when men are afraid of heights
and of dangers on the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms,
the grasshopper drags itself along,
and desire no longer rises.
Then man goes to his eternal home,
and mourners go about the streets.
6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
or the golden bowl is broken;
before the jar is shattered at the spring,
or the wheel is broken at the well,
7 then the dust will return to the earth it came from,
and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
8 “Absolute futility,” says the Teacher.
“Everything is futile.”
9 So because the Teacher was wise, he imparted knowledge to the people; he weighed, searched out, and arranged many proverbs. 10 The Teacher sought to find just the right words, so everything he wrote was upright and words of truth.
11 The sayings of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly embedded by the masters of these collections, and they are given by one Shepherd. 12 But be warned, my son, of anything beyond these.
Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.
13 When all has been heard,
the conclusion of the whole matter is this:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good, or whether it is evil.