Ecclesiastes 12 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Seek God in Early Life

12 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 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,
And the strong men bow down;
When the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look through the windows grow dim;
4 When the doors are shut in the streets,
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all (C)the daughters of music are brought low.
5 Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;
When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to (D)his eternal home,
And (E)the mourners go about the streets.

6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is [b]loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
7 (F)Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
(G)And the spirit will return to God (H)who gave it.

8 “Vanity(I) of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“All is vanity.”

The Whole Duty of Man

9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and (J)set[c] in order many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find [d]acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of [e]scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. 12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and (K)much study is wearisome to the flesh.

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

(L)Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For (M)God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 12:1 Lit. evil
  2. Ecclesiastes 12:6 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt. removed; LXX, Vg. broken
  3. Ecclesiastes 12:9 arranged
  4. Ecclesiastes 12:10 Lit. delightful
  5. Ecclesiastes 12:11 Lit. masters of assemblies

Cross references

  1. Ecclesiastes 12:1 : 2 Chr. 34:3; Prov. 22:6; Lam. 3:27
  2. Ecclesiastes 12:1 : 2 Sam. 19:35
  3. Ecclesiastes 12:4 : 2 Sam. 19:35
  4. Ecclesiastes 12:5 : Job 17:13
  5. Ecclesiastes 12:5 : Gen. 50:10; Jer. 9:17
  6. Ecclesiastes 12:7 : Gen. 3:19; Job 34:15; Ps. 90:3
  7. Ecclesiastes 12:7 : Eccl. 3:21
  8. Ecclesiastes 12:7 : Num. 16:22; 27:16; Job 34:14; Is. 57:16; Zech. 12:1
  9. Ecclesiastes 12:8 : Ps. 62:9
  10. Ecclesiastes 12:9 : 1 Kin. 4:32
  11. Ecclesiastes 12:12 : Eccl. 1:18
  12. Ecclesiastes 12:13 : [Deut. 6:2; 10:12]; Mic. 6:8
  13. Ecclesiastes 12:14 : Eccl. 11:9; Matt. 12:36; [Acts 17:30, 31; Rom. 2:16; 1 Cor. 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:10]

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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 - 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)

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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)

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Ecclesiastes 12 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

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