1Honor and enjoy your Creator while you're still young, Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes,
2Before your vision dims and the world blurs And the winter years keep you close to the fire.
3In old age, your body no longer serves you so well. Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen. The shades are pulled down on the world.
4You can't come and go at will. Things grind to a halt. The hum of the household fades away. You are wakened now by bird-song.
5Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past. Even a stroll down the road has its terrors. Your hair turns apple-blossom white, Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body. Yes, you're well on your way to eternal rest, While your friends make plans for your funeral.
6Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over. Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends.
7The body is put back in the same ground it came from. The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it.
8It's all smoke, nothing but smoke. The Quester says that everything's smoke.
9Besides being wise himself, the Quester also taught others knowledge. He weighed, examined, and arranged many proverbs.
10The Quester did his best to find the right words and write the plain truth.
11The words of the wise prod us to live well. They're like nails hammered home, holding life together. They are given by God, the one Shepherd.
12But regarding anything beyond this, dear friend, go easy. There's no end to the publishing of books, and constant study wears you out so you're no good for anything else.
13The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you.
14And that's it. Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent, whether it's good or evil.