Ecclesiastes 5

1 Put your feet down with care when you go to the house of God, for it is better to give ear than to make the burned offerings of the foolish, whose knowledge is only of doing evil.

Look well to thy feet, when thou goest to the house of God, and draw nigh to hear, rather than to offer sacrifice as fools. For they consider not that they do evil.

2 Be not unwise with your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to say anything before God, because God is in heaven and you are on the earth — so let not the number of your words be great.

Be not hasty with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be swift to utter any thing before God. For God is in heaven, and thou upon earth. Therefore let thy words be few.

3 As a dream comes from much business, so the voice of a foolish man comes with words in great number.

For a dream cometh with much bustle, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.

4 When you take an oath before God, put it quickly into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you have taken.

When thou vowest a vow to God, delay not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools. Pay that which thou hast vowed.

5 It is better not to take an oath than to take an oath and not keep it.

Better is it that thou shouldst not vow than that thou shouldst vow and not pay.

6 Let not your mouth make your flesh do evil. And say not before the angel, It was an error. So that God may not be angry with your words and put an end to the work of your hands.

Suffer not thy mouth to bring punishment on thy flesh, and say not before the angel, “It was a mistake.” Wherefore should God be angry on account of thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?

7 Because much talk comes from dreams and things of no purpose. But let the fear of God be in you.

For in a multitude of dreams is a multitude of vanities; so also in a multitude of words; but fear thou God!

8 If you see the poor under a cruel yoke, and law and right being violently overturned in a country, be not surprised, because one authority is keeping watch on another and there are higher than they.

If thou seest oppression of the poor, and justice and equity perverted in a province, be not alarmed at the matter. For over the high there is a higher, who watcheth, and there is one higher than they all.

9 It is good generally for a country where the land is worked to have a king.

An advantage to a land in all respects is a king over cultivated ground.

10 He who has a love for silver never has enough silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no purpose.

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; and he that loveth riches shall have no profit from them. This also is vanity.

11 When goods are increased, the number of those who take of them is increased; and what profit has the owner but to see them?

When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage hath the owner thereof, save the beholding of them with his eyes?

12 The sleep of a working man is sweet, if he has little food or much; but to him who is full, sleep will not come.

Sweet is the sleep of a laboring man, whether he have eaten little or much; but the repletion of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

13 There is a great evil which I have seen under the sun — wealth kept by the owner to be his downfall.

There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, — riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt.

14 And I saw the destruction of his wealth by an evil chance; and when he became the father of a son he had nothing in his hand.

For those riches perish by some calamity, and, if he have a son, there is nothing in his hand.

15 As he came from his mother at birth, so does he go again; he gets from his work no reward which he may take away in his hand.

As he came forth from his mother's womb naked, so shall he go away again, as he came, and shall take away nothing of his labor which he may carry in his hand.

16 And this again is a great evil, that in all points as he came so will he go; and what profit has he in working for the wind?

This is also a sore evil, that, in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit is there to him who toileth for wind?

17 All his days are in the dark, and he has much sorrow, pain, disease, and trouble.

Also all his days he ate in darkness, and had much grief and anxiety and vexation.

18 This is what I have seen: it is good and fair for a man to take meat and drink and to have joy in all his work under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; that is his reward.

Behold, what I have seen is, that it is good and proper for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor which he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him; for it is his portion.

19 Every man to whom God has given money and wealth and the power to have pleasure in it and to do his part and have joy in his work: this is given by God.

To whatever man also God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him to enjoy them, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.

20 He will not give much thought to the days of his life; because God lets him be taken up with the joy of his heart.

For he will not much remember the days of his life; for God answereth him with the joy of his heart.