The Message Bible MSG
World English Bible WEB
1 onor and enjoy your Creator while you're still young, Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes,
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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;"
2 Before your vision dims and the world blurs And the winter years keep you close to the fire.
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Before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened, And the clouds return after the rain;
3 In old age, your body no longer serves you so well. Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen. The shades are pulled down on the world.
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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,
4 You can't come and go at will. Things grind to a halt. The hum of the household fades away. You are wakened now by bird-song.
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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;
5 Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past. Even a stroll down the road has its terrors. Your hair turns apple-blossom white, Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body. Yes, you're well on your way to eternal rest, While your friends make plans for your funeral.
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Yes, they shall be afraid of heights, And terrors will be in 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:
6 Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over. Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends.
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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,
7 The body is put back in the same ground it came from. The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it.
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And the dust returns to the earth as it was, And the spirit returns to God who gave it.
8 It's all smoke, nothing but smoke. The Quester says that everything's smoke.
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Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; All is vanity!
9 Besides being wise himself, the Quester also taught others knowledge. He weighed, examined, and arranged many proverbs.
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Further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yes, he pondered, sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
10 The Quester did his best to find the right words and write the plain truth.
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The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written blamelessly, words of truth.
11 The words of the wise prod us to live well. They're like nails hammered home, holding life together. They are given by God, the one Shepherd.
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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.
12 But regarding anything beyond this, dear friend, go easy. There's no end to the publishing of books, and constant study wears you out so you're no good for anything else.
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Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you.
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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.
14 And that's it. Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent, whether it's good or evil.
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For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.