Ecclesiastes 12:2-4

New Catholic Bible

² before the sun and the light of day
    give way to darkness,
before the moon and the stars grow dim
    and the clouds return after the rain;
^3 [a]when the guardians of the house tremble
    and the strong men are bent over,
and the women who grind the meal
    cease working because they are few in number,
and those who look through the windows
    realize that their eyesight is failing;
⁴ when the doors to the street are shut
    and the sound of grinding begins to fade,
when one waits to hear the chirping of a bird,
    but all the songbirds are silent;