Ecclesiastes chapter 12 - many books and things

This entire post got wiped out by the blogger editor. It's a bug in the undo logic. The blogger editor has a number of bugs. Frequently it forgets where the cursor should be. There doesn't seem to be anyone to tell. And if there were, they might not have any control over it anyway. Most of the time, though, it gets the right to left and the left to right right! That's a lot more than I can say for Word.

Fortunately there was nothing lost but some doggerel that I now totally forget. It must have been a loser in the quantum field. (The rest of the post is in another tool that allows some diagramming and so on.)

Finally we are at chapter 12 and complete as far as a first pass at this very strange book. Dr Seuss wrote many books of course.  As many as Qohelet's proverbs.  But he was not wearied by them - at least it doesn't seem that way. He is as opposite to Qohelet as one can imagine - if one reads the Preacher piously. Qohelet is sure a curiosity. No priests, no church or assembly, except the one possible mention of a collective in this chapter - maybe this is a poke at the name Qohelet. He almost supports 'eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die' in contrast to the dour apostle Paul.  But you know what? Paul is not as bad as many believe. There is no distortion that his Lord cannot set to toil as produce in the garden - as it is written, the earth has brought forth its produce, let all the peoples praise him.

וּזְכֹר אֶת בּוֹרְאֶיךָ בִּימֵי בְּחוּרֹתֶיךָ עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָבֹאוּ יְמֵי הָרָעָה וְהִגִּיעוּ שָׁנִים אֲשֶׁר תֹּאמַר אֵין לִי בָהֶם חֵפֶץ	12.1 vuzkor )et bvor)eyka byméy bxvuroteyka `àd )asher lo) yabo)vu yméy hara`ah vhigy`vu shanym )asher to)màr )éyn ly bahem xépec	Remember your creator in the days of your youth before the arrival of the days of evil and the impact of years in which you say there is for me in them no pleasure	..
עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא תֶחְשַׁךְ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְהָאוֹר וְהַיָּרֵחַ וְהַכּוֹכָבִים וְשָׁבוּ הֶעָבִים אַחַר הַגָּשֶׁם	12.2 `àd )asher lo) texshàk hàshemesh vha)vor vhàyaréàx vhàkvokabym vshabvu he`abym )àxàr hàgashem	before the darkening of the sun or the light or the moon or the stars when the clouds return after the rain	I think returning clouds are like the light shining - a positive perceived sign of continuing life as opposed to the darkening of perception
בַּיּוֹם שֶׁיָּזֻעוּ שֹׁמְרֵי הַבַּיִת וְהִתְעַוְּתוּ אַנְשֵׁי הֶחָיִל וּבָטְלוּ הַטֹּחֲנוֹת כִּי מִעֵטוּ וְחָשְׁכוּ הָרֹאוֹת בָּאֲרֻבּוֹת	12.3 bàyvom sheyazu`vu shomréy hàbàyit vhit`àvutvu )ànshéy hexayil vuba+lvu hà+oxanvot ky mi`é+vu vxashkvu haro)vot ba)arubvot	in the day that the keepers tremble in the house when human strength is made crooked and the grinders cease for they are few and those who look in the windows are darkened	crooked closes a trio that acts as a frame for the work similarly the three mentions of Qohelet - we will find more.
וְסֻגְּרוּ דְלָתַיִם בַּשּׁוּק בִּשְׁפַל קוֹל הַטַּחֲנָה וְיָקוּם לְקוֹל הַצִּפּוֹר וְיִשַּׁחוּ כָּל בְּנוֹת הַשִּׁיר	12.4 vsugrvu dlatàyim bàshvuq bishpàl qvol hà+àxanah vyaqvum lqvol hàcipvor vyishàxvu kal bnvot hàshyr	and the doors are shut in the street and low is the voice of the grinder and it rises at the voice of a bird and subdued are the daughters of song	..
גַּם מִגָּבֹהַּ יִרָאוּ וְחַתְחַתִּים בַּדֶּרֶךְ וְיָנֵאץ הַשָּׁקֵד וְיִסְתַּבֵּל הֶחָגָב וְתָפֵר הָאֲבִיּוֹנָה כִּי הֹלֵךְ הָאָדָם אֶל בֵּית עוֹלָמוֹ וְסָבְבוּ בַשּׁוּק הַסּוֹפְדִים	12.5 gàm migabohà yira)vu vxàtxàtym bàderek vyané)c hàshaqéd vyistàbél hexagab vtapér ha)abyvonah ky holék ha)adam )el béyt `volamvo vsabbvu bàshvuq hàsvopdym	Even from pride they will fear and terrors are in the way and the almond will be a derision and the grasshopper will drag itself along and appetite will be frustrated for the earthling goes to his eternal home and those who wail circle in the street	wail - Eccl 3:4 same word
עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא ירחק חֶבֶל הַכֶּסֶף וְתָרוּץ גֻּלַּת הַזָּהָב וְתִשָּׁבֶר כַּד עַל הַמַּבּוּעַ וְנָרֹץ הַגַּלְגַּל אֶל הַבּוֹר	12.6 `àd )asher lo) yératéq xbel hàkeseph vtarvuc gulàt hàzahab vtishaber kàd `àl hàmàbvuà` vnaroc hàgàlgàl )el hàbvor	while the silver cord is not distant or crushed the golden bowl or the pitcher broken at the fountain or the wheel crushed at the well	distant - Eccl 3:5
וְיָשֹׁב הֶעָפָר עַל הָאָרֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָה וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ	12.7 vyashob he`apar `àl ha)arec kshehayah vharvuàxtashvub )el ha)elohym )asher ntanah	and the dust returns to the earth as it was and the spirit returns to the God who gave it	all these phrases are governed by the negative in verse 1 - עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא
הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים אָמַר הַקּוֹהֶלֶת הַכֹּל הָבֶל	12.8 habél habalym )amàr hàqvohelet hàkol habel	An utter futility, touts the Qohelet, total futility.	What's a qohelet? Surely we could find a picture.
וְיֹתֵר שֶׁהָיָה קֹהֶלֶת חָכָם עוֹד לִמַּד דַּעַת אֶת הָעָם וְאִזֵּן וְחִקֵּר תִּקֵּן מְשָׁלִים הַרְבֵּה	12.9 vyotér shehayah qohelet xakam `vod limàd dà`àt )et ha`am v)izén vxiqér tiqén mshalym hàrbéh	and it was left that Qohelet became shrewd still he taught knowledge to the people --- and he listened and he examined straightening out many proverbs	note the closing of the trope of both crooked and the straight
בִּקֵּשׁ קֹהֶלֶת לִמְצֹא דִּבְרֵי חֵפֶץ וְכָתוּב יֹשֶׁר דִּבְרֵי אֱמֶת	12.10 biqésh qohelet limco) dibréy xépec vkatvub yosher dibréy )emet	Qohelet sought to find delightful things and wrote upright things of truth	There are several closing brackets in this chapter - some sevenfold.
דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים כַּדָּרְבֹנוֹת וּכְמַשְׂמְרוֹת נְטוּעִים בַּעֲלֵי אֲסֻפּוֹת נִתְּנוּ מֵרֹעֶה אֶחָד	12.11 dibréy xakamym kàdarbonvot vukmàsmrvot n+vu`ym bà`aléy )asupvot nitnvu méro`h )exad	The things of the shrewd are as goads and as nails fixed of the owners of gathered sayings given by one shepherd	..
וְיֹתֵר מֵהֵמָּה בְּנִי הִזָּהֵר עֲשׂוֹת סְפָרִים הַרְבֵּה אֵין קֵץ וְלַהַג הַרְבֵּה יְגִעַת בָּשָׂר	12.12 vyotér méhémah bny hizahér `asvot sparym hàrbéh )éyn qéc vlàhàg hàrbéh ygi`àt basar	and what is left from these, my child, be warned: of the making of many books - there is no end and much study is a weariness of the flesh	warn Eccl 4:13 weary Eccl 10:15
סוֹף דָּבָר הַכֹּל נִשְׁמָע אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים יְרָא וְאֶת מִצְו‍ֹתָיו שְׁמוֹר כִּי זֶה כָּל הָאָדָם	12.13 svoph dabar hàkol nishma` )et ha)elohym yra) v)et micvotayv shmvor ky zeh kal ha)adam	the end of the thing - the whole - let us hear Fear this God and keep his commandments for this is the whole for the earthling	..
כִּי אֶת כָּל מַעֲשֶׂה הָאֱלֹהִים יָבִא בְמִשְׁפָּט עַל כָּל נֶעְלָם אִם טוֹב וְאִם רָע ש	12.14 ky )et kal mà`aseh ha)elohym yabi) bmishpa+ `àl kal ne`lam )im +vob v)im ra`	for every deed this God will bring into judgment on all that is hidden whether good or evil	cf Psalm 90:8