The Lantern

Ecclesiastes12

Remember Your Creator

And remember your Creator in the days of your young manhood, before the days of evil come and years arrive of which you say, “I have no delight in them”;

before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain;

in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the men of strength are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows grow dark;

and the doors are shut in the street, when the sound of the grinding is low; and one rises at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of song are bowed down;

also they fear what is high, and terrors are in the way; and the almond tree blossoms, and the locust drags itself along, and the caperberry fails; for man goes to his eternal house, and the lamenters go about in the street;

before the silver cord is snapped, and the golden bowl is crushed, and the jar is broken at the spring, and the wheel is broken at the cistern;

and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Breath of breaths, said the Qohelet; everything is breath.

The Whole Duty of Man

And besides that Qohelet was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; and he weighed and searched out and set in order many proverbs.

Qohelet sought to find words of delight, and what was written was upright — words of truth.

The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails driven in are the masters of collections; they are given from one shepherd.

And besides these, my son, be warned: of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God and keep his commandments, for this is all of man.

For God will bring every deed into judgment, over every hidden thing, whether good or evil.