Youth and old age

7 It is very delightful to be alive

and see [MTY] the sun rise every morning.

8 Even if people live for many years,

they should enjoy all of them.

But they should not forget that some day they will die

and then they will never be able to see any light again,

and we do not know what will happen to us after we die.

9 You young people, be happy while you are still young.

Enjoy [IDM] doing the things that you want to do.

But do not forget that some day God will judge you

concerning all the things that you do.

10 So when you are young [MTY], do not worry about anything,

and do not pay attention to the pains that you have in your body,

because we will not remain young and strong forever.

12 While you are still young, keep thinking about God, who created you.

Do that before you are old and you experience many troubles,

during the years when you say

“I no longer enjoy being alive.”

2 When you become old, the light from the sun and moon and stars will seem dim to you,

and it will seem that the rain clouds always return quickly after it rains.

3 Then your arms that you use to protect [MET] your bodies will shake/tremble,

and your legs that support [MET] your bodies will become weak.

Many of your teeth that you use to grind/chew your food will fall out,

and your eyes that you use to look out of windows will not see clearly.

4 Your ears [MET] will not hear the noise in the streets,

and you will not be able to hear clearly the sound of people grinding grain with millstones.

You will be awakened in the morning by hearing the birds singing/chirping,

but you will not be able to hear well the songs that ◄the birds/people► sing.

5 You will be afraid to be in high places

and afraid of dangers on the roads that you walk on.

Your hair will become white like [MET] the flowers of almond trees.

When you try to walk, you will drag yourself along like [MET] grasshoppers,

and you will no longer desire to have sex.

Then you will die and go to your eternal home,

and people who will mourn for you will be in the streets.

6 Think much about God now, because soon our lives will end,

like [MET] silver chains or golden bowls that break easily,

or like pitchers/jugs that are broken at the water fountain,

or like broken pulleys at a well.

7 Then our corpses will decay and become dirt again,

and our spirits will return to God, the one who gave us our spirits.

8 So I say again that it is difficult to understand why everything happens;

everything is mysterious.