Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:14

English Standard Version

^9 (A)Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. ^(B)Walk in the ways of your heart and ^(C)the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things ^(D)God will bring you into judgment.

¹⁰ Remove vexation from your heart, and ^(E)put away pain^[a] from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.

Remember Your Creator in Your Youth

12 Remember also your Creator in ^(F)the days of your youth, before ^(G)the evil days come and the years draw near of which ^(H)you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; ² before ^(I)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 ^(J)those who look through the windows are dimmed, ⁴ and ^(K)the doors on the street are shut—when ^(L)the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all ^(M)the daughters of song are brought low— ⁵ they are afraid also of what is high, and ^(N)terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along,^[b] and desire fails, because man is going to his ^(O)eternal ^(P)home, and the ^(Q)mourners go about the streets— ⁶ before the silver cord is snapped, or ^(R)the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is ^(S)shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, ⁷ and ^(T)the dust returns to the earth as it was, and ^(U)the spirit returns to God ^(V)who gave it. ^8 (W)Vanity^[c] of vanities, says ^(X)the Preacher; all is vanity.

Fear God and Keep His Commandments

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

^11 (AB)The words of the wise are like goads, and like ^(AC)nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are ^(AD)given by ^(AE)one Shepherd. ¹² My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making ^(AF)many books there is no end, and ^(AG)much study is a weariness of the flesh.

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