| New Living Translation | NET 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.” | 1So remember your Creator in the days of your youth--before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you will say, "I have 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 sun and the light of the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds disappear 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. | 3when those who keep watch over the house begin to tremble, and the virile men begin to stoop over, and the grinders begin to cease because they grow few, and those who look through the windows grow dim, |
| 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. | 4and the doors along the street are shut; when the sound of the grinding mill grows low, and one is awakened by the sound of a bird, and all their songs 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. | 5and they are afraid of heights and the dangers in the street; the almond blossoms grow white, and the grasshopper drags itself along, and the caper berry shrivels up--because man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about in 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. | 6before the silver cord is removed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the well, or the water wheel is broken at the cistern-- |
| 7For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. Concluding Thoughts about the Teacher | 7and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the life's breath returns to God who gave it. |
| 8“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.” | 8"Absolutely futile!" laments the Teacher, "All of these things are 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 knowledge to the people; he carefully evaluated and arranged many proverbs. |
| 10The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly. | 10The Teacher sought to find delightful words, and to write accurately truthful sayings. |
| 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 sages are like prods, and the collected sayings are like firmly fixed nails; they are given by one shepherd. |
| 12But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out. | 12Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. There is no end to the making of many books, and much study is exhausting to 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. | 13Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion: 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 evaluate every deed, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. |
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