וּזְכֹר אֶת־בֹּורְאֶיךָ בִּימֵי בְּחוּרֹתֶיךָ עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָבֹאוּ יְמֵי הָרָעָה וְהִגִּיעוּ שָׁנִים אֲשֶׁר תֹּאמַר אֵין־לִי   12:1

בָהֶם חֵפֶץ׃

Eccl. 12:1   So call to mind your Creator in the days of your youth,

                               before the days of evil shall come

                      and the years approach when you will say,

                               “There is no pleasure for me in them,”

עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תֶחְשַׁךְ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְהָאֹור וְהַיָּרֵחַ וְהַכֹּוכָבִים וְשָׁבוּ הֶעָבִים אַחַר הַגָּשֶׁם׃   12:2

Eccl. 12:2   before the sun shall grow dim,

                               with the light and the moon and the stars,

                      and the clouds come back following the rain,

בַּיֹּום שֶׁיָּזֻעוּ שֹׁמְרֵי הַבַּיִת וְהִתְעַוְּתוּ אַנְשֵׁי הֶחָיִל וּבָטְלוּ הַטֹּחֲנֹות כִּי מִעֵטוּ וְחָשְׁכוּ הָרֹאֹות בָּאֲרֻבֹּות׃   12:3

Eccl. 12:3   at a time when the keepers of the house will tremble,

                               and people of strength bend themselves,

                      and the grinders cease because they are few,

                               and the observers in the windows become dimmed,

וְסֻגְּרוּ דְלָתַיִם בַּשּׁוּק בִּשְׁפַל קֹול הַטַּחֲנָה וְיָקוּם לְקֹול הַצִּפֹּור וְיִשַּׁחוּ כָּל־בְּנֹות הַשִּׁיר׃   12:4

Eccl. 12:4   and the doors in the street would be shut,

                               with the sound of the mill low,

                      and one arises to the sound of birds,

                               while all the daughters of song will be humbled,

גַּם מִגָּבֹהַּ יִרָאוּ וְחַתְחַתִּים בַּדֶּרֶךְ וְיָנֵאץ הַשָּׁקֵד וְיִסְתַּבֵּל הֶחָגָב וְתָפֵר הָאֲבִיֹּונָה כִּי־הֹלֵךְ הָאָדָם   12:5

אֶל־בֵּית עֹולָמֹו וְסָבְבוּ בַשּׁוּק הַסֹּפְדִים׃

Eccl. 12:5   they shall even be frightened by anything high,

                               and terrors in the way,

                      and the almond tree will be spurned,

                               and the grasshopper will drag itself along,

                      and the caperberry will crumble,

                               when the human must be going to the house of his unending future,

                      and the mourners go about in the street,

עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא־ (יִרחַק) [יֵרָתֵק] חֶבֶל הַכֶּסֶף וְתָרֻץ גֻּלַּת הַזָּהָב וְתִשָּׁבֶר כַּד עַל־הַמַּבּוּעַ וְנָרֹץ   12:6

הַגַּלְגַּל אֶל־הַבֹּור׃

Eccl. 12:6   before the silver cord must be snapped,

                               and the gold basin be crushed,

                      and the pitcher be shattered beside the fountain,

                               and the wheel is rolled to the pit,

The word in the parentheses would be translated as must be far away, which is somewhat inappropriate in this context.  The correction in the brackets replaces the chet with a tav, the word now translating as must be snapped.  This latter spelling and translation are more appropriate.

וְיָשֹׁב הֶעָפָר עַל־הָאָרֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָה וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ׃   12:7

Eccl. 12:7   and the dust will return upon the ground as it had been,

                               and the spirit will go back to the God Who gave it.

These first seven verses of the closing chapter of Ecclesiastes all contain metaphors for old age and death.  They once again exhibit the author’s obsession with these thoughts.

הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים אָמַר הַקֹּוהֶלֶת הַכֹּל הָבֶל׃   12:8

Eccl. 12:8   “Vanity of vanities!” says Koheleth.

                                It is all vanity.

וְיֹתֵר שֶׁהָיָה קֹהֶלֶת חָכָם עֹוד לִמַּד־דַּעַת אֶת־הָעָם וְאִזֵּן וְחִקֵּר תִּקֵּן מְשָׁלִים הַרְבֵּה׃   12:9

Eccl. 12:9   And beside that Koheleth was wise, he also taught the people knowledge, and would weigh and search out, set in order, many proverbs.

בִּקֵּשׁ קֹהֶלֶת לִמְצֹא דִּבְרֵי־חֵפֶץ וְכָתוּב יֹשֶׁר דִּבְרֵי אֱמֶת׃   12:10

Eccl. 12:10   Koheleth sought to discover words of delight and honestly recorded words of truth.

דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים כַּדָּרְבֹנֹות וּכְמַשְׂמְרֹות נְטוּעִים בַּעֲלֵי אֲסֻפֹּות נִתְּנוּ מֵרֹעֶה אֶחָד׃   12:11

Eccl. 12:11   The words of the wise are like goads, and like the established preservatives of collectors prepared from one shepherd.

וְיֹתֵר מֵהֵמָּה בְּנִי הִזָּהֵר עֲשֹׂות סְפָרִים הַרְבֵּה אֵין קֵץ וְלַהַג הַרְבֵּה יְגִעַת בָּשָׂר׃   12:12

Eccl. 12:12   And more than these, my son, be warned:  There is no end of the making of many books, while too much study is wearying of the flesh.

סֹוף דָּבָר הַכֹּל נִשְׁמָע אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים יְרָא וְאֶת־מִצְוֹתָיו שְׁמֹור כִּי־זֶה כָּל־הָאָדָם׃   12:13

Eccl. 12:13   The end of the matter; it has all been heard.  Revere God and keep His commandments.  For this is the whole of the human being.

For me, this verse contains the be all and end all of life.  It’s all about God, not us.  To my mind, that’s what the expression “All is vanity.” really conveys.

כִּי אֶת־כָּל־מַעֲשֶׂה הָאֱלֹהִים יָבִא בְמִשְׁפָּט עַל כָּל־נֶעְלָם אִם־טֹוב וְאִם־רָע׃   12:14

Eccl. 12:14   For God shall bring every thing done into judgment, including every thing hidden, whether evil or good.

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