וּזְכֹר אֶת־בּוֹרְאֶיךָ בִּימֵי בְּחוּרֹתֶיךָ עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָבֹאוּ יְמֵי הָרָעָה וְהִגִּיעוּ שָׁנִים אֲשֶׁר תֹּאמַר אֵין־לִי בָהֶם חֵפֶץ

Remember your Creator even in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years arrive when you will say: I have no desire in them. The evil days mentioned here do not necessarily feature devastating external events; rather, the verse is referring to a period when you will no longer be able to do as you wish, the period of old age.

עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תֶחְשַׁךְ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְהָאוֹר וְהַיָּרֵחַ וְהַכּוֹכָבִים וְשָׁבוּ הֶעָבִים אַחַר הַגָּשֶׁם

The following description of old age is detailed and poetic, with numerous images designed to arouse terror of this period of human life: Before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars darken, since an aging person, whose eyesight is dimming, feels as though the sun does not shine as brightly as it did during his youth, and that the moon and stars are dull, and as though the clouds return to cast shade, darkening the sunlight, even after the rain has stopped;

בַּיּוֹם שֶׁיָּזֻעוּ שֹׁמְרֵי הַבַּיִת וְהִתְעַוְּתוּ אַנְשֵׁי הֶחָיִל וּבָטְלוּ הַטֹּחֲנוֹת כִּי מִעֵטוּ וְחָשְׁכוּ הָרֹאוֹת בָּאֲרֻבּוֹת

on the day that the guards of the house tremble, the hands shake and malfunction, and the infantry men are distorted, and the grinders, the teeth, cease because they have dwindled, as most of them have fallen out, and it is dark for the gazers, the eyes, through the windows, as their vision is impaired;

וְסֻגְּרוּ דְלָתַיִם בַּשּׁוּק בִּשְׁפַל קוֹל הַטַּחֲנָה וְיָקוֹם לְקוֹל הַצִּפּוֹר וְיִשַּׁחוּ כָּל־בְּנוֹת הַשִּׁיר

and the doors to the street are shut, as the elderly person feels as though the gates of the marketplace are locked to him, with the fading of the noise of the mill, since he is no longer active in the world, or because he does not eat much and he sees no reason to run to the marketplace, or alternatively, the doors to the street are the person’s orifices, or his lips, and in that case, the grinders (verse 3) refer to the digestive organs; and one, the aging person, arises, wakes up, even at the sound of the bird, as his sleep is not deep, and he has trouble going back to sleep after he has woken up, and yet, although he awakens even at the sound of a bird, all the sources of music are muted, as he cannot hear music clearly, either because he is hard of hearing, or because he no longer has any interest in listening to music, or, alternatively, the voice of the old person itself is muted, because he is no longer capable of singing loudly;

גַּם מִגָּבֹהַּ יִירָאוּ וְחַתְחַתִּים בַּדֶּרֶךְ וְיָנֵאץ הַשָּׁקֵד וְיִסְתַּבֵּל הֶחָגָב וְתָפֵר הָאֲבִיּוֹנָה כִּי־הֹלֵךְ הָאָדָם אֶל־בֵּית עוֹלָמוֹ וְסָבְבוּ בַשּׁוּק הַסּוֹפְדִים

when they, the elderly, will also be fearful of heights and look for ways to circumvent any hill or mound, and obstacles will be on the way. When they were young, they did not even notice obstacles in the road but simply passed over them; however, in old age, when every step requires effort, it becomes clear that the road is not smooth. The almond tree will blossom, certain bones begin to bulge, but the grasshopper will be burdened, other parts of the body grow heavy and feel like a burden, and the caper berry will fail, sexual desire wanes and disappears. For the man goes to his eternal home, his death, and the mourners will circle in the street. These are the people who announce a death and conduct a public eulogy.

עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יֵרָתֵק חֶבֶל הַכֶּסֶף וְתָרֻץ גֻּלַּת הַזָּהָב וְתִשָּׁבֶר כַּד עַל־הַמַּבּוּעַ וְנָרֹץ הַגַּלְגַּל אֶל־הַבּוֹר

Before the silver cord, human will and strength to live, is severed, and the golden skull is shattered, and the pitcher is broken at the spring, an allusion to the stomach, which holds food as a spring holds water, and the wheel used for drawing water is smashed into the cistern and the body falls into the grave,

וְיָשֹׁב הֶעָפָר עַל הָאָרֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָה וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ

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

הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים אָמַר הַקּוֹהֶלֶת הַכֹּל הָבֶל

Since every human life flows toward its end, and very few of a person’s accomplishments survive him, futility of futilities, says Kohelet; all is futility.

וְיֹתֵר שֶׁהָיָה קֹהֶלֶת חָכָם עוֹד לִמַּד־דַּעַת אֶת־הָעָם וְאִזֵּן וְחִקֵּר תִּקֵּן מְשָׁלִים הַרְבֵּה

Beyond that Kohelet was wise himself, he moreover taught the people knowledge, considered, or preached, and investigated, composed many proverbs, both orally and in writing, e.g., in the book of Proverbs, which contains many sayings and wise maxims.

בִּקֵּשׁ קֹהֶלֶת לִמְצֹא דִּבְרֵי־חֵפֶץ וְכָתוּב יֹשֶׁר דִּבְרֵי אֱמֶת

Kohelet sought to find matters of value, and to find that which was written with integrity, matters of truth that have already been written.

דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים כַּדָּרְבֹנוֹת וּכְמַשְׂמְרוֹת נְטוּעִים בַּעֲלֵי אֲסֻפּוֹת נִתְּנוּ מֵרֹעֶה אֶחָד

The words of the wise are strong like prods, sticks with nails at their ends, which are used for striking and piercing animals in order to urge them along, and like well-fastened nails are the collectors of wisdom, statements of the Sages, whose words of wisdom appear to have been collected from many sources, but in reality they were given from one shepherd, God.

וְיֹתֵר מֵהֵמָּה בְּנִי הִזָּהֵר עֲשׂוֹת סְפָרִים הַרְבֵּה אֵין קֵץ ולַהַג הַרְבֵּה יגִעַת בָּשָׂר

At the end of the book, Kohelet advises his reader: More than that, my son, be careful. Alternatively, do not go further than the books that have already been written, with their words of truth: Refrain from making many books, as it is without end, and in them there is much prattle or drivel, and it is weariness of the flesh. Reading those books provides little benefit.

סוֹף דָּבָר הַכֹּל נִשְׁמָע אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים יְרָא וְאֶת־מִצְוֹתָיו שְׁמוֹר כִּי־זֶה כָּל־הָאָדָם

The end of the matter, everything, all I have to say, has been heard, and after having established that childhood and adolescence are vanity, old age is terrifying, and everything else is herding wind, only one value remains: Fear God and observe His commandments, for that is all of man.

כִּי אֶת־כָּל־מַעֲשֶׂה הָאֱלֹהִים יָבִא בְמִשְׁפָּט עַל כָּל־נֶעְלָם אִם־טוֹב וְאִם־רָע סוף דבר הכל נשמע את האלהים ירא ואת מצותיו שמור כי זה כל האדם

For every action of man God will bring to judgment, for every unknown. You cannot hide or escape. This judgment will encompass even actions that you have forgotten, whether good or evil.