1 ¶ Remember your Creator now in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, or the years approach, when you will say, I have no pleasure in them;

2 Before the sun, the light, and the moon, and stars, are darkened, or the clouds return after the rain:

3 In the day when the guardians of the house will tremble, and strong men will grow stooped, and the grinders will stop because they are few, and those who look out of the windows will not see light,

4 When the doors to the street are shut, and the sound of the mill fades, when one rises at the sound of a bird, but their melodies are muffled;

5 Also when you are afraid of heights, and dangers on the road, and the almond tree blossoms, and the grasshopper is a burden, and desire will cease: because man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about streets:

6 Before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was: and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

8 ¶ Vanity of vanities, says the preacher; all is vanity.

9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

10 The preacher tried to find acceptable words: written accurately, words of truth.

11 The words of the wise are like spurs, or points driven home like nails, and the collected sayings come from one shepherd.

12 Be warned my son, against anything more than these: the making of books is endless; and much study wearies the body.

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

14 For God will bring everything that is done into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.