Remember Your Creator
Ecclesiastes 12
The Preacher urges remembering the Creator in youth before the evils and infirmities of old age arrive, describing old age and death through a series of images including trembling limbs, failing senses, and the silver cord loosed and the golden bowl broken, before the dust returns to earth and the spirit returns to the Lord who gave it. He closes by declaring again that all is vanity, commending the Preacher's careful search for true words, warning against endless books and excessive study, and concluding that the whole duty of man is to fear the Lord and keep his commandments, since the Lord will bring every work into judgment.
About these editions
The Septuagint (LXX) in Greek, with Charles Thomson’s 1808 and Sir Lancelot Brenton’s 1851 English translations, set beside the King James Version and the Jewish Masoretic text (JPS 1917) where they align, so you can compare the Greek and the Hebrew. All public domain; choose which to show with the controls above.
Thomson 1808Septuagint
Brenton 1851Septuagint
Greek · BrentonSeptuagint
KJV 1769Masoretic
JPS 1917Masoretic
1
ThomsonBECAUSE youth and thoughtlessness is vanity, therefore remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth;
BrentonAnd remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the days of evil come, and the years overtake thee in which thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.
GreekΚαὶ μνήσθητι τοῦ κτίσαντός σε ἐν ἡμέραις νεότητός σου, ἕως ὅτου μὴ ἔλθωσιν αἱ ἡμέραι τῆς κακίας, καὶ φθάσουσιν ἔτη ἐν οἷς ἐρεῖς, οὐκ ἔστι μοι ἐν αὐτοῖς θέλημα.
KJVRemember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
JPSRemember then thy Creator in the days of thy youth, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say: 'I have no pleasure in them';
2
Thomsonbefore the evil days come and the years draw nigh in which thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. So long as the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are not involved in darkness, the clouds will return after rain.
BrentonWhile the sun and light are not darkened, nor the moon and the stars; nor the clouds return after the rain:
GreekἝως οὗ μὴ σκοτισθῇ ὁ ἥλιος καὶ τὸ φῶς, καὶ ἡ σελήνη καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες, καὶ ἐπιστρέψουσι τὰ νέφη ὀπίσω τοῦ ὑετοῦ.
KJVWhile the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
JPSBefore the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;
3
ThomsonWhen once the guards of the house are shaken, and the men of valour put to flight, and the grinding maids are idle, because reduced to a few, then shall the maids who look out at the windows be darkened,
Brentonin the day wherein the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the mighty men shall become bent, and the grinding women cease because they have become few, and the women looking out at the windows be dark;
GreekἘν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἐὰν σαλευθῶσι φύλακες τῆς οἰκίας, καὶ διαστραφῶσιν ἄνδρες τῆς δυνάμεως, καὶ ἤργησαν αἱ ἀλήθουσαι ὅτι ὠλιγώθησαν, καὶ σκοτάσουσιν αἱ βλέπουσαι ἐν ταῖς ὀπαῖς·
KJVIn the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
JPSIn the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out shall be darkened in the windows,
4
Thomsonand the doors of the market place will be shut at the feebleness of the voice of the grinding maid, which will be raised to the plaintive tone of the young ostrich; and all the daughters of the song will be brought low;
Brentonand they shall shut the doors in the market-place, because of the weakness of the voice of her that grinds at the mill; and he shall rise up at the voice of the sparrow, and all the daughters of song shall be brought low;
GreekΚαὶ κλείσουσι θύρας ἐν ἀγορᾷ, ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ φωνῆς τῆς ἀληθούσης· καὶ ἀναστήσεται εἰς φωνὴν τοῦ στρουθίου, καὶ ταπεινωθήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ θυγατέρες τοῦ ᾄσματος·
KJVAnd the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
JPSAnd the doors shall be shut in the street, when the sound of the grinding is low; and one shall start up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;
5
Thomsonand they will look up to the height and there are terrors in the way. Though the almond tree shall have bloomed and the locust hath been fattened and the caper-bush is shed, because the man is gone to his long [distant] home, therefore the mourners have made a circuit in the market place.
Brentonand they shall look up, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the locust shall increase, and the caper shall be scattered: because man has gone to his eternal home, and the mourners have gone about the market:
GreekΚαὶ εἰς τὸ ὕψος ὄψονται, καὶ θάμβοι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, καὶ ἀνθήσῃ τὸ ἀμύγδαλον, καὶ παχυνθῇ ἡ ἀκρὶς, καὶ διασκεδασθῇ ἡ κάππαρις, ὅτι ἐπορεύθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰς οἶκον αἰῶνος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκύκλωσαν ἐν ἀγορᾷ οἱ κοπτόμενοι.
KJVAlso when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
JPSAlso when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall drag itself along, and the caperberry shall fail; Because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets;
6
ThomsonUntil the silver cord can be wound up no more, and the golden bowl be broken, and the bucket broken at the well, and the wheel on the well shall run down with it,
Brentonbefore the silver cord be let go, or the choice gold be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel run down to the cistern;
GreekἝως ὅτου μὴ ἀνατραπῇ τὸ σχοινίον τοῦ ἀργυρίου, καὶ συντριβῇ τὸ ἀνθέμιον τοῦ χρυσίου, καὶ συντριβῇ ὑδρία ἐπὶ τῇ πηγῇ, καὶ συντροχάσῃ ὁ τροχὸς ἐπὶ τὸν λάκκον·
KJVOr ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
JPSBefore the silver cord is snapped asunder, and the golden bowl is shattered, And the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel falleth shattered, into the pit;
7
Thomsonand dust return to dust as it was, and the spirit return to God who gave it—
Brentonbefore the dust also return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return to God who gave it.
GreekΚαὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ ὁ χοῦς ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὡς ἦν, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὃς ἔδωκεν αὐτό.
KJVThen shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
JPSAnd the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it.
8
ThomsonVanity of vanities, said the preacher: All things are vanity.
BrentonVanity of vanities, said the Preacher; all is vanity.
GreekΜαταιότης ματαιοτήτων, εἶπεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης.
KJVVanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
JPSVanity of vanities, saith Koheleth; all is vanity.
9
ThomsonAnd moreover, because the preacher was wise, because he taught mankind wisdom; that the ear might find what is comely from parables,
BrentonAnd because the Preacher was wise above others, so it was that he taught man excellent knowledge, and the ear will trace out the parables.
GreekΚαὶ περισσὸν ὅτι ἐγένετο Ἐκκλησιαστὴς σοφὸς, ὅτι ἐδίδαξε γνῶσιν σὺν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ οὖς ἐξιχνιάσεται κόσμιον παραβολῶν.
KJVAnd moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
JPSAnd besides that Koheleth was wise, he also taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
10
Thomsonthe preacher made diligent search to find pleasing words and a writing of rectitude—words of truth.
BrentonThe Preacher sought diligently to find out acceptable words, and a correct writing, even words of truth.
GreekΠολλὰ ἐζήτησεν Ἐκκλησιαστὴς τοῦ εὑρεῖν λόγους θελήματος, καὶ γεγραμμένον εὐθύτητος, λόγους ἀληθείας.
KJVThe preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
JPSKoheleth sought to find out words of delight, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth.
11
Thomson—
BrentonThe words of the wise are as goads, and as nails firmly fastened, which have been given from one shepherd by agreement.
GreekΛόγοι σοφῶν ὡς τὰ βούκεντρα, καὶ ὡς ἧλοι πεφυτευμένοι, οἳ παρὰ τῶν συνθεμάτων ἐδόθησαν ἐκ ποιμένος ἑνός.
KJVThe words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
JPSThe words of the wise are as goads, and as nails well fastened are those that are composed in collections; they are given from one shepherd.
12
ThomsonThe words of the wise are like goads and nails ready made, which have been laid up in repositories from one shepherd to another. What remaineth of them, my son, keep thou. There is no end of making many books. And much study is a weariness to the flesh.
BrentonAnd moreover, my son, guard thyself by means of them: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
GreekΚαὶ περισσὸν ἐξ αὐτῶν υἱέ μου φύλαξαι· τοῦ ποιῆσαι βιβλία πολλὰ οὐκ ἔστι περασμὸς, καὶ μελέτη πολλὴ κόπωσις σαρκός.
KJVAnd further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
JPSAnd furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13
ThomsonAs a conclusion of the discourse, hear thou the whole sum and substance.—Fear God and keep His commandments: for this conclusion every man should draw, That God will bring the whole work into judgment in every case not taken notice of, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
BrentonHear the end of the matter, the sum: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole man.
GreekΤέλος λόγου, τὸ πᾶν ἄκουε· τὸν Θεὸν φοβοῦ, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ φύλασσε· ὅτι τοῦτο πᾶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος.
KJVLet us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
JPSThe end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole man.
14
Thomson—
BrentonFor God will bring every work into judgment, with everything that has been overlooked, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
GreekὍτι σύμπαν τὸ ποίημα ὁ Θεὸς ἄξει ἐν κρίσει, ἐν παντὶ παρεωραμένῳ, ἐὰν ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἐὰν πονηρόν.
KJVFor God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
JPSFor God shall bring every work into the judgment concerning every hidden thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.[The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His Commandments; for this is the whole man.]