Ecclesiastes 5
1 Keep thy foot when thou go to the house of God, for to draw near to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools. For they know not that they do evil.
Be careful when you go into God's house. It's better to listen and respond rather than offer meaningless sacrifices. People who do that don't even know they are doing wrong.
2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God. For God is in heaven, and thou upon earth. Therefore let thy words be few.
Don't say rash things, and think before you speak to God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so keep it short.
3 For a dream comes with a multitude of business, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.
When you worry too much, you get nightmares; when you talk too much, you say foolish things.
4 When thou vow a vow to God, defer not to pay it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay that which thou vow.
When you make a vow to God, with a curse on you if you don't keep it, don't be slow in keeping it, for he is not happy with foolish behavior. So do what you promised!
5 Better is it that thou should not vow, than that thou should vow and not pay.
Better not to make any vows at all than to make vow you don't keep.
6 Do not allow thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin, nor say thou before the agent, that is was an error. Why should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?
Don't let your mouth cause you to sin. And don't tell the priest that your vow was a mistake, for why would you antagonize God by breaking your promise? He could bring your own curse down on you.
7 For in the multitude of dreams there are vanities, and in many words. But fear thou God.
There are certainly many dreams, questions of meaning, and lots of different ideas, but you are to follow God.
8 If thou see the oppression of a poor man, and the violent wresting of justice and righteousness in a province, marvel not at the matter. For a man higher than the high is observing, and there are higher men than they.
If you see poor people somewhere being oppressed, or truth and justice violated, don't be shocked at it, for every official is responsible to others higher up, and there are officials over them as well.
9 Moreover the abundance of the land is for all. The king himself is served by the field.
However, what the land produces is for everyone—even the king benefits from what is grown.
10 He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.
People who love money never have enough money; those who love wealth never have enough income. This too is so temporary and makes little sense.
11 When goods increase, they are increased who eat them. And what advantage is there to the owner of it, except the beholding of them with his eyes?
The more you earn, the more you have eating into your income. It only looks like you have more!
12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the fullness of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
Those who work hard sleep well, whether they have a little to eat or plenty, but the rich own so much they don't get any rest.
13 There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches were kept by the owner of it to his hurt.
I observed something here that is really sickening: people who hoard money damage themselves.
14 And those riches perish in a bad venture. And if he has begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.
They put their money into bad investments and lose everything. Now when we're born, we don't bring anything into the world.
15 As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.
When we die, we leave just as naked as when we were born, taking nothing with us from all we've worked for.
16 And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he that he labored for the wind?
This also makes me sick! What do people gain, working for the wind?
17 All his days also he eats in gloom, and he is greatly troubled, and has depression and anger.
They live their lives in darkness, very frustrated, sick, and resentful.
18 Behold, that which I have seen to be good and to be fitting is for a man to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor in which he labors under the sun all the days of his life which God has given him, for this is his portion.
But I observed that what is good and right is to eat, drink, and to find enjoyment in the work God gives us here in this life. This is God's gift to us.
19 Every man also to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor-this is the gift of God.
In addition, everyone to whom God gives wealth and possessions he also gives the ability to enjoy these gifts, to be grateful for what they are given, and to enjoy the work they do. This is also God's gift to us.
20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life, because God answers him in the joy of his heart.
In fact such people have little time to think about life because God keeps them busy with all that makes them happy.
