Ecclesiastes 5
1 Keep your foot, whenever you go to the house of God; and [when you are] near to hear, let your sacrifice [be] better than the gift of fools: for they know not that they are doing evil.
Take heede to thy foote when thou entrest into the House of God, and be more neere to heare then to giue the sacrifice of fooles: for they knowe not that they doe euil.
2 Be not hasty with your mouth, and let not your heart be swift to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven above, and you upon earth: therefore let your words be few.
Be not rash with thy mouth, nor let thine heart be hastie to vtter a thing before God: for God is in the heauens, and thou art on the earth: therefore let thy wordes be fewe.
3 For through the multitude of trial a dream comes; and a fool's voice is with a multitude of words.
For as a dreame commeth by the multitude of businesse: so the voyce of a foole is in the multitude of wordes.
4 Whenever you shall vow a vow to God, defer not to pay it; for [he has] no pleasure in fools: pay you therefore whatever you shall have vowed.
When thou hast vowed a vowe to God, deferre not to pay it: for he deliteth not in fooles: pay therefore that thou hast vowed.
5 [It is] better that you should not vow, than that you should vow and not pay.
It is better that thou shouldest not vowe, then that thou shouldest vow and not pay it.
6 Suffer not your mouth to lead your flesh to sin; and say not in the presence of God, It was an error: lest God be angry at your voice, and destroy the works of your hands.
Suffer not thy mouth to make thy flesh to sinne: neither say before the Angel, that this is ignorance: wherefore shall God bee angry by thy voyce, and destroy the worke of thine hands?
7 For [there is evil] in a multitude of dreams and vanities and many words: but fear you God.
For in the multitude of dreames, and vanities are also many wordes: but feare thou God.
8 If you should see the oppression of the poor, and the wresting of judgement and of justice in the land, wonder not at the matter: for [there is] a high one to watch over him that is high, and high ones over them.
If in a countrey thou seest the oppression of the poore, and the defrauding of iudgement and iustice, be not astonied at the matter: for hee that is higher then the highest, regardeth, and there be higher then they.
9 Also the abundance of the earth is for every one: the king [is dependent on] the tilled field.
And the abundance of the earth is ouer all: the King also consisteth by the fielde that is tilled.
10 He that loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver: and who has loved gain, in the abundance thereof? this is also vanity.
He that loueth siluer, shall not be satisfied with siluer, and he that loueth riches, shalbe without the fruite thereof: this also is vanitie.
11 In the multitude of good they are increased that eat it: and what virtue has the owner, but the right of beholding [it] with his eyes?
When goods increase, they are increased that eate them: and what good commeth to the owners thereof, but the beholding thereof with their eyes?
12 The sleep of a servant is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but to one who is satiated with wealth, there is none that suffers him to sleep.
The sleepe of him that traueileth, is sweete, whether he eate litle or much: but the sacietie of the riche will not suffer him to sleepe.
13 There is an infirmity which I have seen under the sun, [namely], wealth kept for its owner to his hurt.
There is an euill sickenes that I haue seene vnder the sunne: to wit, riches reserued to the owners thereof for their euill.
14 And that wealth shall perish in an evil trouble: and [the man] begets a son, and there is nothing in his hand.
And these riches perish by euill trauel, and he begetteth a sonne, and in his hand is nothing.
15 As he came forth naked from his mother's womb, he shall return back as he came, and he shall receive nothing for his labour, that it should go [with him] in his hand.
As hee came foorth of his mothers belly, he shall returne naked to goe as he came, and shall beare away nothing of his labour, which hee hath caused to passe by his hand.
16 And this is also an evil infirmity: for as he came, so also shall he return: and what is his gain, for which he vainly labours?
And this also is an euill sickenes that in all pointes as he came, so shall he goe, and what profit hath he that he hath traueiled for the winde?
17 Yes, all his days are in darkness, and in mourning, and much sorrow, and infirmity, and wrath.
Also all his dayes hee eateth in darkenes with much griefe, and in his sorowe and anger.
18 Behold, I have seen good, that it is a fine thing [for a man] to eat and to drink, and to see good in all his labour in which he may labour under the sun, [all] the number of the days of his life which God has given to him: for it is his portion.
Beholde then, what I haue seene good, that it is comely to eate, and to drinke, and to take pleasure in all his labour, wherein he traueileth vnder the sunne, the whole nomber of the dayes of his life, which God giueth him: for this is his portion.
19 Yes, and [as for] every man to whom God has given wealth and possessions, and has given him power to eat thereof, and to receive his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.
Also to euery man to whom God hath giuen riches and treasures, and giueth him power to eate thereof, and to take his part, and to enioy his labour: this is the gift of God.
20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life; for God troubles him in the mirth of his heart.
Surely hee will not much remember the dayes of his life, because God answereth to the ioy of his heart.
