Ecclesiastes 12:9-14
Lexham English Bible
Epilogue
9 The Teacher[a] was full of wisdom, and he taught the people with knowledge. He carefully considered many proverbs and carefully arranged them. 10 The Teacher[b] sought to find delightful words,[c] and he wrote[d] what is upright—truthful words.
11 The words of the wise are like cattle goads; the collections of the sages are like pricks inflicted by one shepherd.[e] 12 My son, be careful about anything beyond these things.[f] For the writing of books is endless, and too much study is wearisome.[g]
13 Now that all has been heard, here is the final conclusion:
Fear God and obey his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 12:9 Hebrew “Qohelet”
- Ecclesiastes 12:10 Hebrew “Qohelet”
- Ecclesiastes 12:10 Hebrew “words of delight”
- Ecclesiastes 12:10 The MT reads the term passively, “what is written,” but an alternate textual tradition reads, “and he wrote”
- Ecclesiastes 12:11 Or “The owner of collections are given by one shepherd”
- Ecclesiastes 12:12 Literally “but from more than them”
- Ecclesiastes 12:12 Literally “increases weariness of flesh”
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