Ecclesiastes 5
1 Keep thy foot, when thou goest into the house of God, and draw nigh to hear. For much better is obedience, than the victims of fools, who know not what evil they do.
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 Speak not any thing rashly, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter a word 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 Dreams follow many cares: and in many words shall be found folly.
When you worry too much, you get nightmares; when you talk too much, you say foolish things.
4 If thou hast vowed any thing to God, defer not to pay it: for an unfaithful and foolish promise displeaseth him: but whatsoever thou hast vowed, pay it.
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 And it is much better not to vow, than after a vow not to perform the things promised.
Better not to make any vows at all than to make vow you don't keep.
6 Give not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin: and say not before the angel: There is no providence: lest God be angry at thy words, and destroy all the works 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 Where there are many dreams, there are many vanities, and words without number: but do thou fear God.
There are certainly many dreams, questions of meaning, and lots of different ideas, but you are to follow God.
8 If thou shalt see the oppressions of the poor, and violent judgments, and justice perverted in the province, wonder not at this matter: for he that is high hath another higher, and there are others still higher than these:
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 there is the king that reigneth over all the land subject to him.
However, what the land produces is for everyone—even the king benefits from what is grown.
10 A covetous man shall not be satisfied with money: and he that loveth riches shall reap no fruit from them: so 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 Where there are great riches, there are also many to eat them. And what doth it profit the owner, but that he seeth the riches with his eyes?
The more you earn, the more you have eating into your income. It only looks like you have more!
12 Sleep is sweet to a labouring man, whether he eat little or much: but the fulness of the rich will not suffer 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 also another grievous evil, which I have seen under the sun: riches kept to the hurt of the owner.
I observed something here that is really sickening: people who hoard money damage themselves.
14 For they are lost with very great affliction: he hath begotten a son, who shall be in extremity of want.
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 naked from his mother’s womb, so shall he return, and shall take nothing away with him of his labour.
When we die, we leave just as naked as when we were born, taking nothing with us from all we've worked for.
16 A most deplorable evil: as he came, so shall he return. What then doth it profit him that he hath laboured for the wind?
This also makes me sick! What do people gain, working for the wind?
17 All the days of his life he eateth in darkness, and in many cares, and in misery, and sorrow.
They live their lives in darkness, very frustrated, sick, and resentful.
18 This therefore hath seemed good to me, that a man should eat and drink, and enjoy the fruit of his labour, wherewith he hath laboured under the sun, all the days of his life, which God hath given him: and 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 And every man to whom God hath given riches, and substance, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to enjoy his portion, and to rejoice of his labour: 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 entertaineth his heart with delight,
In fact such people have little time to think about life because God keeps them busy with all that makes them happy.
