Ecclesiastes 5

1 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.

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

2 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.

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God: for God [is] in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

3 When you worry too much, you get nightmares; when you talk too much, you say foolish things.

For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice [is known] by multitude of words.

4 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!

When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for [he hath] no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

5 Better not to make any vows at all than to make vow you don't keep.

Better [is it] that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

6 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.

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it [was] an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

7 There are certainly many dreams, questions of meaning, and lots of different ideas, but you are to follow God.

For in the multitude of dreams and many words [there are] also [divers] vanities: but fear thou God.

8 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.

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for [he that is] higher than the highest regardeth; and [there be] higher than they.

9 However, what the land produces is for everyone—even the king benefits from what is grown.

Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king [himself] is served by the field.

10 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.

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this [is] also vanity.

11 The more you earn, the more you have eating into your income. It only looks like you have more!

When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good [is there] to the owners thereof, saving the beholding [of them] with their eyes?

12 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.

The sleep of a labouring man [is] sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

13 I observed something here that is really sickening: people who hoard money damage themselves.

There is a sore evil [which] I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

14 They put their money into bad investments and lose everything. Now when we're born, we don't bring anything into the world.

But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and [there is] nothing in his hand.

15 When we die, we leave just as naked as when we were born, taking nothing with us from all we've worked for.

As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

16 This also makes me sick! What do people gain, working for the wind?

And this also [is] a sore evil, [that] in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

17 They live their lives in darkness, very frustrated, sick, and resentful.

All his days also he eateth in darkness, and [he hath] much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

18 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.

Behold [that] which I have seen: [it is] good and comely [for one] to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it [is] his portion.

19 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.

Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this [is] the gift of God.

20 In fact such people have little time to think about life because God keeps them busy with all that makes them happy.

For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth [him] in the joy of his heart.