¶ Remember¹ now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while² the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when³ thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

While the sun⁴, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor⁵ the clouds return after the rain:

In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong⁶ men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those⁷ that look out of the windows be darkened,

And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all⁸ the daughters of musick shall be brought low;

Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond⁹ tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because¹⁰ man goeth to his long home, and the mourners¹¹ go about the streets:

Or ever¹² the silver cord¹³ be loosed, or the golden bowl¹⁴ be broken¹⁵, or the pitcher¹⁶ be broken at the fountain¹⁷, or the wheel¹⁸ broken at the cistern¹⁹.

Then shall the dust²⁰ return to the earth as it was: and the spirit²¹ shall return unto God²² who gave it.

¶²³Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

And moreover, because the preacher was wise²⁴, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave²⁵ good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

¶ The preacher²⁶ sought to find out acceptable words²⁷: and that which was written²⁸ was upright, even words of truth.

The words of the wise are as goads²⁹, and as nails fastened by the masters³⁰ of assemblies, which are given³¹ from one shepherd.

And further, by these³², my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study³³ is a weariness of the flesh.

¶ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter³⁴: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for³⁵ this is the whole duty of man.

³⁶For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.