| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; | 1Don’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.” |
| 2before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, | 2Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. |
| 3in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, | 3Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop. Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly. |
| 4and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low— | 4Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint. |
| 5they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets— | 5Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral. |
| 6before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, | 6Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. |
| 7and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. | 7For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. Concluding Thoughts about the Teacher |
| 8Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity. | 8“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.” |
| 9Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. | 9Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. |
| 10The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. | 10The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly. |
| 11The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. | 11The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep. |
| 12My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. | 12But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out. |
| 13The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. | 13That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. |
| 14For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. | 14God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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