Ecclesiastes 12
12
1Remember your Creator.
Remember him while you are still young.
Think about him before your times of trouble come.
The years will come when you will say,
“I don’t find any pleasure in them.”
2That’s when the sunlight will become dark.
The moon and the stars will also grow dark.
And the clouds will return after it rains.
3Remember your Creator before those who guard the house tremble with old age.
That’s when strong men will be bent over.
The women who grind grain will stop because there are so few of them left.
Those who look through the windows won’t be able to see very well.
4Remember your Creator before the front doors are closed.
That’s when the sound of grinding will fade away.
Old people will rise up when they hear birds singing.
But they will barely hear any of their songs.
5Remember your Creator before you become afraid of places that are too high.
You will also be terrified because of danger in the streets.
Remember your Creator before the almond trees have buds on them.
That’s when grasshoppers will drag themselves along.
Old people will lose their desire.
That’s when people will go to their dark homes in the grave.
And those who mourn for the dead will walk around in the streets.
6Remember your Creator before the silver cord is cut.
Remember him before the golden bowl is broken.
The wheel will be broken at the well.
The pitcher will be smashed at the spring.
7Remember your Creator before you return to the dust you came from.
Remember him before your spirit goes back to God who gave it.
8“Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Nothing has any meaning.”
Have Respect for God and Obey His Commandments
9The Teacher was wise. He gave knowledge to people. He tried out many proverbs. He thought about them carefully. Then he wrote them down in order. 10He did his best to find just the right words. And what he wrote was honest and true.
11The sayings of those who are wise move people to take action. Their collected sayings are like nails pounded in firm and deep. These sayings are given to us by one shepherd. 12My son, be careful not to pay attention to anything added to them.
Books will never stop being written. Too much studying makes people tired.
13Everything has now been heard.
And here’s the final thing I want to say.
Have respect for God and obey his commandments.
This is what he expects of all human beings.
14God will judge everything people do.
That includes everything they try to hide.
He’ll judge everything, whether it’s good or evil.
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Ecclesiastes 12
12
The Problems of Old Age
1Remember your Creator while you are young.
Your old age is coming
when you will have many troubles.
When that time comes,
you won’t have much to enjoy.
2When you become old,
the light from the sun, moon and stars will seem dark to you.
It will seem as if the rain clouds never go away.
3At that time your arms will lose their strength.
Your strong legs will become weak and bent.
Your teeth will fall out so you cannot chew.
Your eyes will not see clearly.
4Your ears will be deaf to the noise in the streets.
You will barely hear singing.
The sound of the millstone grinding your grain will seem very quiet.
But you’ll wake up when a bird first starts singing!
5You will fear high places.
And you will be afraid to go for a walk because you may fall.
Your hair will become white like the flowers on an almond tree.
You will limp along like a grasshopper when you walk.
Your desires will be gone.
Then you will go to your everlasting home.
And people will go to your funeral.
6Remember God before your life is snapped like a silver chain.
Remember God before your life is broken like a golden bowl.
It will be as useless as a broken bucket at the spring.
It will be no good, like a broken wheel at a water well.
7Your body will become part of the dust of the earth again.
But your spirit will return to God who gave it.
8Everything is useless!
The Teacher says that everything is useless.
Conclusion
9The Teacher was very wise. He taught the people what he knew. The Teacher very carefully thought about, studied and set in order many wise teachings. 10The Teacher looked for just the right words. He wrote teachings that are dependable and true.
11Words from wise men are like sharp sticks used to guide animals. These words are like nails that have been driven in firmly. They are wise teachings that come from God the Shepherd. 12So be careful, my son, about other teachings. People are always writing books. And too much study will make you very tired.
13Now, everything has been heard.
Here is my final advice:
Honor God and obey his commands.
This is the most important thing people can do.
14God knows everything people do,
even the things done in secret.
He knows all the good and all the bad.
He will judge everything people do.
Ecclesiastes 11
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.