Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:7
New King James Version
Seek God in Early Life
9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,
And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;
(A)Walk in the [a]ways of your heart,
And [b]in the sight of your eyes;
But know that for all these
(B)God will bring you into judgment.
10 Therefore remove [c]sorrow from your heart,
And (C)put away evil from your flesh,
(D)For childhood and [d]youth are vanity.
Seek God in Early Life
12 Remember(E) now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the [e]difficult days come,
And the years draw near (F)when you say,
“I have no pleasure in them”:
2 While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;
3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,
And the strong men bow down;
When the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look through the windows grow dim;
4 When the doors are shut in the streets,
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all (G)the daughters of music are brought low.
5 Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;
When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to (H)his eternal home,
And (I)the mourners go about the streets.
6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is [f]loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
7 (J)Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
(K)And the spirit will return to God (L)who gave it.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 11:9 Impulses
- Ecclesiastes 11:9 As you see to be best
- Ecclesiastes 11:10 vexation
- Ecclesiastes 11:10 Prime of life
- Ecclesiastes 12:1 Lit. evil
- Ecclesiastes 12:6 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt. removed; LXX, Vg. broken
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.