Remember also thy Creator(s) in the days of thy youth{HR}Before the evil days come,{HR}And the years draw nigh of which thou shalt say,{HR}I have no pleasure in them;
Before the sun, and the light, and the moon,{HR}And the stars, be darkened,{HR}And the clouds return after the rain:
In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble,{HR}And the strong men shall bow themselves,{HR}And the grinders cease because they are few,{HR}And those that look out of the windows be darkened,
And the doors shall be shut in the street;{HR}When the sound of the grinding is low,{HR}And one shall rise up at the voice of a bird,{HR}And all the daughters of song shall be brought low;
Yea, they shall be afraid of [that which is] high,{HR}And terrors [shall be] in the way;{HR}And the almond tree shall blossom,{HR}And the grasshopper shall be a burden,{HR}And desire shall fail;{HR}Because man goeth to his long home,{HR}And the mourners go about the streets:
Before the silver cord be loosed,{HR}Or the golden bowl be broken,{HR}Or the pitcher be broken at the fountain,{HR}Or the wheel broken at the cistern;
And the dust return to the earth as it was,{HR}And the spirit return unto God who gave it.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher;{HR}All [is] vanity.
And moreover, because the Preacher was wise,{HR}He still taught the people knowledge;{HR}Yea, he pondered, and sought out,{HR}[And] set in order many proverbs.
The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words,{HR}And [that which was] written uprightly,{HR}[Even] words of truth.
The words of the wise [are] as goads,{HR}And as nails well fastened{HR}Are the words of the masters of assemblies,{HR}[Which] are given from one shepherd.
And further, my son, be admonished by them;{HR}Of making many books [there is] no end;{HR}And much study [is] a weariness of the flesh.
[This is] the end of the matter;{HR}All hath been heard:{HR}Fear God, and keep His commandments;{HR}For this [is] the whole [duty] of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment,{HR}With every hidden thing,{HR}Whether [it be] good or whether [it be] evil.