Ecclesiastes 12 - American Standard Version (ASV)

12 Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2 before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and 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 [a]grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows shall be darkened, 4 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 yea, they shall be afraid [b]of that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper [c]shall be a burden, and [d]desire shall [e]fail; because man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets: 6 before the silver cord is [f]loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity. 9 And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he [g]pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find out [h]acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are as goads; and as nails well fastened are the words of the [i]masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. 12 [j]And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 13 [k]This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for [l]this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, [m]with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 12:3 Or, grinding women
  2. Ecclesiastes 12:5 Or, of danger from on high
  3. Ecclesiastes 12:5 Or, shall drag itself along
  4. Ecclesiastes 12:5 Or, the caperberry
  5. Ecclesiastes 12:5 Or, burst
  6. Ecclesiastes 12:6 Or, snapped asunder
  7. Ecclesiastes 12:9 Or, gave ear
  8. Ecclesiastes 12:10 Hebrew words of delight.
  9. Ecclesiastes 12:11 Or, collectors of sentences
  10. Ecclesiastes 12:12 Or, And as for more than these, my son, be warned
  11. Ecclesiastes 12:13 Or, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter
  12. Ecclesiastes 12:13 Or, this is the duty of all men
  13. Ecclesiastes 12:14 Or, concerning

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12 Remember also thy Creators in days of thy youth, While that the evil days come not, Nor the years have arrived, that thou sayest, `I have no pleasure in them.' 2 While that the sun is not darkened, and the light, And the moon, and the stars, And the thick clouds returned after the rain. 3 In the ...
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Ecclesiastes 12 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

12 Have thou mind on thy Creator[a] in the days of thy youth, before that the time of thy torment come, and the years of thy death nigh, of which thou shalt say, Those please not me. (Think thou upon thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before that the time of thy torment come, and the years of thy...
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Ecclesiastes 12 - World English Bible (WEB)

12 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 the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;3 in the day when the keepers of the ho...
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Ecclesiastes 12 - The Voice (VOICE)

12 Teacher: And so we come to the end of this musing over life. My advice to you is to remember your Creator, God, while you are young: before life gets hard and the injustice of old age comes upon you—before the years arrive when pleasure feels far out of reach— 2 before the sun and light and the m...
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Ecclesiastes 12 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Ode for the Aging12 So remember your Creator in the days of your youth:before the days of misery come, and years draw near when you will say: “I have no pleasure in them”—2 before the sun and light and moonand the stars grow dark,and the clouds dissipate after the rain,3 in the day the keepers of th...
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Ecclesiastes 12 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

12 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain; 3 in the day when the keepers o...
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Ecclesiastes 12 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

12 Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return with[a] the rain; 3 in the day when the guards of ...
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Ecclesiastes 12 - New Living Translation (NLT)

12 Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” 2 Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. 3 Remember him...
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Ecclesiastes 12 - New Life Version (NLV)

12 Remember also your Maker while you are young, before the days of trouble come and the years when you will say, “I have no joy in them,” 2 before the sun, the light, the moon and the stars are made dark, and clouds return after the rain. 3 This will be the day when the men who watch the house sh...
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Ecclesiastes 12 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Seek God in Early Life12 Remember(A) now your Creator in the days of your youth,Before the [a]difficult days come,And the years draw near (B)when you say,“I have no pleasure in them”:2 While the sun and the light,The moon and the stars,Are not darkened,And the clouds do not return after the rain;3 I...
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Ecclesiastes 12 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

12 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them’–2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain;3 when the keepers of the house tremble,...
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Ecclesiastes 12 - New International Version (NIV)

12 Remember(A) your Creator in the days of your youth,before the days of trouble(B) come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”—2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain;3 when the keepers of the house tr...
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Ecclesiastes 12 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

12 Remember your Creator. Remember him while you are still young.Think about him before your times of trouble come. The years will come when you will say, “I don’t find any pleasure in them.”2 That’s when the sunlight will become dark. The moon and the stars will also grow dark. And the clouds will ...
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