Ecclesiastes, the Preacher

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- Chapter 12 -

Remember your Creator

While you are still young, keep thinking about God, who created you. Do that before you are old and you experience many troubles, during the years when you say, “I no longer enjoy being alive.”

When you become old, the light from the sun and moon and stars will seem dim to you, and it will seem that the rain clouds always return quickly after it rains.

Then your arms that you use to protect yourself, and your legs that support your body will become weak. Many of the teeth that you use to grind your food will fall out, and your eyes that you use to look out of windows will not see clearly.

Your ears will no longer hear the noise in the streets, and you will no longer 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, but you will not be able to hear well the songs that the birds sing.

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 the flowers of almond trees. When you try to walk, you will drag yourself along like grasshoppers, and you will no longer desire a woman at all. Then you will die and go to your eternal home, and the people who will mourn for you will be in the streets.

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

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

So I, the Teacher, say again that everything is temporary and useless.

The fear of God is supreme

I, the Teacher, was considered to be a very wise man, and I taught the people many things. I assembled and wrote down many proverbs, and I carefully thought about them and put them in order.

I searched for words that would be pleasing to hear, and what I have written is reliable and true.

The things that I and other wise people say give directions, and they are like nails that fix things together and last a long time. When people follow clear and understandable directions, they know what is right, and, so then they can do it. The sayings of the wise are like our shepherd who guides us where we need to go.

So, my son, pay careful attention to what I have written, and choose carefully what you read that others have written. This work of writing many books is endless. Trying to study them all will be an endless task.

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.

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

Remember your Creator

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw near, when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them;”

Before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;

in 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 who look out of the windows are darkened,

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;

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;

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,

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

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

The fear of God is supreme

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

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

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.

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

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.

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