American Standard Version

Ecclesiastes 12

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¹Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; ²before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain; ³in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows shall be darkened, ⁴and 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; ⁵yea, 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: ⁶before 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, ⁷and the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it. ⁸Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity. ⁹And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. ¹⁰The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth. ¹¹The 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. ¹²And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. ¹³This isthe end of the matter; all hath been heard: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. ¹⁴For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.