Ecclesiastes 12

Ecclesiastes 12:2

While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

Before thine eyes grow dim with age, so as thou dost not clearly discern the sun, the moon, or stars; and before the evils and miseries of age succeed one another in thee, in a woeful vicissitude:

Ecclesiastes 12:3

In 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,

Before the time, that thine arms, which are the guard of this thy house of clay, shall tremble with palsies; and thy legs, which were thy strong supporters, shall bow themselves; and thy teeth grind slowly and difficultly, because they are few; and thine eyes, which are as glasses in the windows of the head, be dusky and darkened:

Ecclesiastes 12:4

And 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 music shall be brought low;

When the street doors shall be shut upon thee, as now retired to thine own home, without care of others’ visitations or affairs; when thy slow feeding shall have made thee unfit for other men’s tables; when every little noise, but of a bird, shall wake thee out of thy sleep; and when thy spirits shall be so dull and dejected, that thou shalt take no pleasure in the hearing of the most melodious music:

Ecclesiastes 12:5

Also 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.

When thy decrepit age shall make thee so unfit to move, that thou shalt be afraid of every rub or clod that lies in thy way; when the white blossoms of age shall cover thy head; and every light thing, though it be but of the weight of a grasshopper, shall seem burdensome to thee; and all those lusts and desires, which haunted thy stronger times, are now gone and past: for there is no way but this one; man goeth to his long home, the grave; and the mourners, in a hired formality, go about the streets: ECLESIASTES, CHAP. XI. XII.; SONG OF SOLOMON, CHAP. I.

Ecclesiastes 12:6

Or 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.

Before ever all thy natural and vital spirits be utterly exhausted, and all the functions and offices of life be quite discharged; which shall be in the last act of death; for, as, when the cord is loosed, and the bucket broken, and the pitcher broken at the well, or the wheel at the cistern, no water can any more be drawn; so when those vital parts fail, can there be no longer protraction of life.

Ecclesiastes 12:10

The preacher sought to find out acceptable words; and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

The Preacher sought to find out excellent and divine sentences, and matters of high and singular use; and such he hath indeed attained unto; for that, which is written by him, is full of admirable wisdom and truth.

Ecclesiastes 12:11

The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

The words of the wise and holy prophets of God are of singular benefit, for they are as goads to prick us forward to all good duties: yea, they go yet deeper; they are as nails driven up to the head, by gracious teachers, so as they cannot easily be pulled out: which words, however they be delivered to us, by several messengers, yet they come all originally from one hand, even from the great Pastor of his Church, the Word of his Father.

Ecclesiastes 12:12

And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

By these divine words, O my son, do thou content thyself to be admonished; not roving in thy desires after multitude of other volumes, whereof there is no end; in the compiling and reading of which, there is much toil and weariness of the flesh, and much expense of the spirits.