| International Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1So remember your Creator during your youth! Otherwise, troublesome days will come and years will creep up on you when you'll say, "I find 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.” |
| 2Otherwise, when the sun, daylight, moon, or stars turn dark, or when clouds fail to 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. |
| 3when that day comes, the palace guards will tremble, strong men will stoop down, women grinders will cease because they are few, and the sight of those who peer through the lattice will grow dim. | 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. |
| 4The doors to the street will be shut when the sound of grinding decreases, when one wakes up at the song of a bird, and all of the singing women are silenced. | 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. |
| 5At that time they will fear climbing heights and dangers along the road while the almond tree will blossom, and the grasshopper is weighed down. Desire will cease, because the person goes to his eternal home, and mourners will gather in the marketplace. | 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. |
| 6When the silver cord is severed, the golden vessel is broken, the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, and the wheel is 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. |
| 7then man's dust will go back to the earth, returning to what it was, and the spirit will return to the 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 |
| 8"Utterly pointless," says the Teacher. "Everything is pointless." | 8“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.” |
| 9Moreover, besides being wise himself, the Teacher taught people what he had learned by listening, making inquiries, and composing many proverbs. | 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 Teacher searched to find appropriate expressions, and what is written here is right and truthful. | 10The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly. |
| 11Sayings from the wise are like cattle prods and well fastened nails; this masterful collection was 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. |
| 12So learn from them, my son. There is no end to the crafting of many books, and too much study wearies the body. | 12But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out. |
| 13Let the conclusion of all of these thoughts be heard: Fear God and obey his commandments, for this is what it means to be human. | 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 judge every deed, along with every secret, whether good or evil. | 14God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | 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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