| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 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.” | 1Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of adversity come and the years approach of which you will say, “I find no pleasure in them,” |
| 2Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. | 2before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is darkened, and the clouds return after the rain, |
| 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. | 3on the day the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men stoop, when those grinding cease because they are few and those watching through windows see dimly, |
| 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. | 4when the doors to the street are shut and the sound of the mill fades away, when one rises at the sound of a bird and all the daughters of song grow faint, |
| 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. | 5when men fear the heights and dangers of the road, when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper loses its spring, and the caper berry shrivels—for then man goes to his eternal home and mourners walk the streets. |
| 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. | 6Remember Him before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is crushed, before the pitcher is shattered at the spring and the wheel is broken at the well, |
| 7For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. Concluding Thoughts about the Teacher | 7before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it. |
| 8“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.” | 8“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile!” |
| 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. | 9Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also taught the people knowledge; he pondered, searched out, and arranged many proverbs. |
| 10The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly. | 10The Teacher searched to find delightful sayings and to record accurate words of truth. |
| 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. | 11The words of the wise are like goads, and the anthologies of the masters are like firmly embedded nails driven by a single Shepherd. |
| 12But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out. | 12And by these, my son, be further warned: There is no end to the making of many books, and much study wearies the body. |
| 13That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. | 13When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. |
| 14God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. | 14For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil. |
|
