| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New Living Translation |
| 1Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, "I have no delight 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.” |
| 2before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds 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. |
| 3in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through windows 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. |
| 4and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of song will sing softly. | 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. |
| 5Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street. | 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. |
| 6Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; | 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 the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to 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"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "all is vanity!" | 8“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.” |
| 9In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged 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 Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly. | 10The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly. |
| 11The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are 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. |
| 12But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to 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. |
| 13The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. | 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 bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. | 14God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | 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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