Ecclesiastes 12  American Standard Version

12 Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; ² before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain; ³ in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the ^[a]grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows shall be darkened, ⁴ and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; ⁵ yea, they shall be afraid ^[b]of that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper ^[c]shall be a burden, and ^[d]desire shall ^[e]fail; because man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets: ⁶ before the silver cord is ^[f]loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, ⁷ and the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it. ⁸ Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity. ⁹ And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he ^[g]pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. ¹⁰ The Preacher sought to find out ^[h]acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth. ¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads; and as nails well fastened are the words of the ^[i]masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. ^12 [j]And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. ^13 [k]This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for ^[l]this is the whole duty of man. ¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment, ^[m]with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.