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Remember Your Creator in Your Youth

¹ Remember also your Creator in ^(a)the days of your youth, before ^(b)the evil days come and the years draw near of which ^(c)you will say, "I have no pleasure in them"; ² before ^(d)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 tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and ^(e)those who look through the windows are dimmed, ⁴ and ^(f)the doors on the street are shut—when ^(g)the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all ^(h)the daughters of song are brought low— ⁵ they are afraid also of what is high, and ⁽ⁱ⁾terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along,^[a] and desire fails, because man is going to his ^(j)eternal ^(k)home, and the ^(l)mourners go about the streets— ⁶ before the silver cord is snapped, or ^(m)the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is ⁽ⁿ⁾shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, ⁷ and ^(o)the dust returns to the earth as it was, and ^(p)the spirit returns to God ^(q)who gave it. ^8 (r)Vanity^[b] of vanities, says ^(s)the Preacher; all is vanity.

Fear God and Keep His Commandments

⁹ Besides being wise, ^(t)the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging ^(u)many proverbs with great care. ^10 (v)The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

^11 (w)The words of the wise are like goads, and like ^(x)nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are ^(y)given by ^(z)one Shepherd. ¹² My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making ^(aa)many books there is no end, and ^(ab)much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ The end of the matter; all has been heard. ^(ac)Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.^{[c] 14} For ^(ad)God will bring every deed into judgment, with^[d] every secret thing, whether good or evil.