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 feet when thou goest unto a house of God, and draw near to hear rather than to give of fools the sacrifice, for they do not know 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.
Cause not thy mouth to hasten, and let not thy heart hasten to bring out a word before God, for God is in the heavens, and thou on the 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 the dream hath come by abundance of business, and the voice of a fool by abundance 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 to God, delay not to complete it, for there is no pleasure in fools; that which thou vowest — complete.
5 Better not to make any vows at all than to make vow you don't keep.
Better that thou do not vow, than that thou dost vow and dost not complete.
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, nor say before the messenger, that 'it [is] an error,' why is God wroth because of thy voice, and hath destroyed the work of thy hands?
7 There are certainly many dreams, questions of meaning, and lots of different ideas, but you are to follow God.
For, in the abundance of dreams both vanities and words abound; 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 oppression of the poor, and violent taking away of judgment and righteousness thou seest in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for a higher than the high is observing, and high ones [are] over them.
9 However, what the land produces is for everyone—even the king benefits from what is grown.
And the abundance of a land is for all. A king for a field is served.
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.
Whoso is loving silver is not satisfied [with] silver, nor he who is in love with stores [with] increase. Even this [is] vanity.
11 The more you earn, the more you have eating into your income. It only looks like you have more!
In the multiplying of good have its consumers been multiplied, and what benefit [is] to its possessor except the sight of 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.
Sweet [is] the sleep of the labourer whether he eat little or much; and the sufficiency of the wealthy is not suffering him to sleep.
13 I observed something here that is really sickening: people who hoard money damage themselves.
There is a painful evil I have seen under the sun: wealth kept for its possessor, for his evil.
14 They put their money into bad investments and lose everything. Now when we're born, we don't bring anything into the world.
And that wealth hath been lost in an evil business, and he hath begotten 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 out from the belly of his mother, naked he turneth back to go as he came, and he taketh not away anything of his labour, that doth go in his hand.
16 This also makes me sick! What do people gain, working for the wind?
And this also [is] a painful evil, just as he came, so he goeth, and what advantage [is] to him who laboureth for wind?
17 They live their lives in darkness, very frustrated, sick, and resentful.
Also all his days in darkness he consumeth, and sadness, and wrath, and sickness abound.
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.
Lo, that which I have seen: [It is] good, because beautiful, to eat, and to drink, and to see good in all one's labour that he laboureth at under the sun, the number of the days of his life that God hath given to 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 wealth and riches, and hath given him power to eat of it, and to accept his portion, and to rejoice in his labour, this is a 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 doth not much remember the days of his life, for God is answering through the joy of his heart.
