Ecclesiastes 12 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

Seek God in Early Life

Ecc 12:1Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the difficult days come,
And the years draw near when you say,
“I have no pleasure in them”:

Ecc 12:2

Ecc 12:2While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;

Ecc 12:3

Ecc 12:3In 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;

Ecc 12:4

Ecc 12:4When 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 the daughters of music are brought low.

Ecc 12:5

Ecc 12:5Also 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 his eternal home,
And the mourners go about the streets.

Ecc 12:6

Ecc 12:6Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,[fn]
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.

Ecc 12:7

Ecc 12:7Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

Ecc 12:8

Ecc 12:8“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“All is vanity.”

The Whole Duty of Man

Ecc 12:9

Ecc 12:9And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.

Ecc 12:10

Ecc 12:10The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth.

Ecc 12:11

Ecc 12:11The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars[fn] are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.

Ecc 12:12

Ecc 12:12And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.

Ecc 12:13

Ecc 12:13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.

Ecc 12:14

Ecc 12:14For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

See the NKJV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NKJV Footnotes

(12:6)

Following Qere and Targum; Kethib reads removed; Septuagint and Vulgate read broken.

(12:11)

Literally masters of the assemblies

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For more information on this translation, see the NKJV Preface.