Truly the light is sweet,
And it is pleasant for the eyes (A)to behold the sun;
But if a man lives many years
And (B)rejoices in them all,
Yet let him (C)remember the days of darkness,
For they will be many.
All that is coming is vanity.

Seek God in Early Life

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,
And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;
(D)Walk in the [a]ways of your heart,
And [b]in the sight of your eyes;
But know that for all these
(E)God will bring you into judgment.
10 Therefore remove [c]sorrow from your heart,
And (F)put away evil from your flesh,
(G)For childhood and [d]youth are vanity.

Seek God in Early Life

12 Remember(H) now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the [e]difficult days come,
And the years draw near (I)when you say,
“I have no pleasure in them”:
While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;
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;
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 (J)the daughters of music are brought low.
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 (K)his eternal home,
And (L)the mourners go about the streets.

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.
(M)Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
(N)And the spirit will return to God (O)who gave it.

“Vanity(P) of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“All is vanity.”

The Whole Duty of Man

And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and (Q)set[g] in order many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find [h]acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of [i]scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. 12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and (R)much study is wearisome to the flesh.

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

(S)Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For (T)God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 11:9 Impulses
  2. Ecclesiastes 11:9 As you see to be best
  3. Ecclesiastes 11:10 vexation
  4. Ecclesiastes 11:10 Prime of life
  5. Ecclesiastes 12:1 Lit. evil
  6. Ecclesiastes 12:6 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt. removed; LXX, Vg. broken
  7. Ecclesiastes 12:9 arranged
  8. Ecclesiastes 12:10 Lit. delightful
  9. Ecclesiastes 12:11 Lit. masters of assemblies

Youth and Old Age

Nothing on earth is more beautiful than the morning sun. Even if you have a very long life, you should try to enjoy each day, because darkness will come and will last a long time. Nothing makes sense.[a]

Be cheerful and enjoy life while you are young! Do what you want and find pleasure in what you see. But don't forget that God will judge you for everything you do.

10 Rid yourself of all worry and pain, because the wonderful moments of youth quickly disappear.

12 Keep your Creator in mind while you are young! In years to come, you will be burdened down with troubles and say, “I don't enjoy life anymore.”

Someday the light of the sun
and the moon and the stars
    will all seem dim to you.
Rain clouds will remain
    over your head.
Your body will grow feeble,
your teeth will decay,
    and your eyesight fail.
The noisy grinding of grain
    and the voices of singers
will be shut out
    by your deaf ears,
but even the song of a bird
    will keep you awake.[b]

You will be afraid
to climb up a hill
    or walk down a road.
Your hair will turn as white
    as almond blossoms.
You will feel lifeless
and drag along
    like an old grasshopper.

We each go to our eternal home,
and the streets here are filled
    with those who mourn.
The silver cord snaps,
    the golden bowl breaks;
the water pitcher is smashed,
and the pulley at the well
    is shattered.
So our bodies return
    to the earth,
and the life-giving breath[c]
    returns to God.
Nothing makes sense.
I have seen it all—
    nothing makes sense.

Respect and Obey God

I was a wise teacher with much understanding, and I collected a number of proverbs that I had carefully studied. 10 Then I tried to explain these things in the best and most accurate way.

11 Words of wisdom are like the stick a farmer uses to make animals move. These sayings come from a shepherd,[d] and they are like nails that fasten things together.[e] 12 My child, I warn you to stay away from any teachings except these.

There is no end to books,
and too much study
    will wear you out.

13 Everything you were taught can be put into a few words:

Respect and obey God!
This is what life
    is all about.
14 God will judge
    everything we do,
even what is done in secret,
    whether good or bad.

Footnotes

  1. 11.8 Nothing makes sense: Or “There's nothing to look forward to!”
  2. 12.4 but even the song … awake: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  3. 12.7 life-giving breath: Or “spirit.”
  4. 12.11 a shepherd: This may be a reference to God as shepherd (see also Psalm 23.1).
  5. 12.11 These sayings … together: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.