Parallel Bible results for "ecclesiastes 12"

Ecclesiastes 12

Third Millennium Bible TMB

1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say, "I have no pleasure in them";

2 while neither the sun nor the light, nor the moon nor the stars be darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain;

3 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 the eyes that look out of the windows be darkened;

4 and the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low; and he shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

5 also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way; and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets;

6 or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern--

7 then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

8 "Vanity of vanities," saith the Preacher. "All is vanity."

9 And moreover because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed and sought out and set in order many proverbs.

10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth!

11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the master builders, which are given from one Shepherd.

12 And further, my son, by these words be admonished: of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness to the flesh.

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.

GOD'S WORD Translation GW

1 Remember your Creator when you are young, before the days of trouble come and the years catch up with you. They will make you say, "I have found no pleasure in them."

2 Remember your Creator before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars turn dark, [and] the clouds come back with rain.

3 Remember your Creator when those who guard the house tremble, strong men are stooped over, the women at the mill stop grinding because there are so few of them, [and] those who look out of the windows see a dim light.

4 Remember your Creator when the doors to the street are closed, the sound of the mill is muffled, you are startled at the sound of a bird, [and] those who sing songs become quiet.

5 Remember your Creator when someone is afraid of heights and of dangers along the road, the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, [and] the caper bush has [no] fruit. Mortals go to their eternal rest, and mourners go out in the streets.

6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is snapped, the golden bowl is broken, the pitcher is smashed near the spring, and the water wheel is broken at the cistern.

7 Then the dust [of mortals] goes back to the ground as it was before, and the breath of life goes back to God who gave it.

8 "Absolutely pointless!" says the spokesman. "Everything is pointless!"

9 Besides being wise, the spokesman also taught the people what he knew. He very carefully thought about it, studied it, and arranged it in many proverbs.

10 The spokesman tried to find just the right words. He wrote the words of truth very carefully.

11 Words from wise people are like spurs. Their collected sayings are like nails that have been driven in firmly. They come from one shepherd.

12 Be warned, my children, against anything more than these. People never stop writing books. Too much studying will wear out your body.

13 After having heard it all, this is the conclusion: Fear God, and keep his commands, because this applies to everyone.

14 God will certainly judge everything that is done. This includes every secret thing, whether it is good or bad.