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.
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not understand that they are doing what is wrong.
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.
Do not be too quick to speak with your mouth, and do not let your heart be too quick to bring any matter up before God. God is in heaven, but you are on earth, so let your words be few.
3 When you worry too much, you get nightmares; when you talk too much, you say foolish things.
If you have too many things to do and worry about, you will probably have bad dreams. The more words you speak, the more foolish things you will probably say.
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 you make a vow to God, do not delay to do it, for God has no pleasure in fools. Do what you vow you will do.
5 Better not to make any vows at all than to make vow you don't keep.
It is better not to make a vow than to make one that you do not carry out.
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.
Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin. Do not say to the priest's messenger, “That vow was a mistake.” Why make God angry by vowing falsely, provoking God to destroy the work of your hands?
7 There are certainly many dreams, questions of meaning, and lots of different ideas, but you are to follow God.
For in many dreams, as in many words, there is meaningless vapor. So fear 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.
When you see the poor being oppressed and robbed of just and right treatment in your province, do not be astonished as if no one knows, because there are people in power who watch those under them, and there are even higher ones over them.
9 However, what the land produces is for everyone—even the king benefits from what is grown.
In addition, the produce of the land is for everyone, and the king himself takes produce from the fields.
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.
Anyone who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, and anyone who loves wealth always wants more. This, too, is vapor.
11 The more you earn, the more you have eating into your income. It only looks like you have more!
As prosperity increases, so also do the people who consume it. What advantage in wealth is there to the owner except to watch it with his 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 working man is sweet, whether he eats little or a lot, but the wealth of a rich person does not allow him to sleep well.
13 I observed something here that is really sickening: people who hoard money damage themselves.
There is an evil that I have seen under the sun: riches hoarded by the owner, resulting in his own misery.
14 They put their money into bad investments and lose everything. Now when we're born, we don't bring anything into the world.
When the rich man loses his wealth through bad luck, his own son, one whom he has fathered, is left with nothing in his hands.
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 a man comes from his mother's womb, so also he will leave naked. He can take none of the fruits of his labor in his hand.
16 This also makes me sick! What do people gain, working for the wind?
Another evil is that as a person comes, so he goes away. So what profit is there for him who works for the wind?
17 They live their lives in darkness, very frustrated, sick, and resentful.
During his days he eats with darkness and is greatly distressed with sickness and anger.
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.
Look, what I have seen to be good and suitable is to eat and drink and to enjoy the gain from all our work, as we labor under the sun during the days of this life that God has given us. For this is man's assignment.
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.
Anyone to whom God has given riches and wealth and the ability to receive his share and rejoice in his work—this is a gift from 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 does not call to mind very often the days of his life, because God makes him keep busy with the things that he enjoys doing.
