Ecclesiastes 5
1 Guard thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be ready to hearken: it is better than when fools give sacrifices; for they know not that they do evil.
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 Be not rash with thy mouth, 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 For a dream cometh through a multitude of business; and a fool's voice through a multitude of words.
When you worry too much, you get nightmares; when you talk too much, you say foolish things.
4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for He hath no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou vowest.
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 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
Better not to make any vows at all than to make vow you don't keep.
6 Suffer not thy mouth to bring thy flesh into guilt, neither say thou before the messenger, that it was an error; wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work 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 For through the multitude of dreams and vanities there are also many words; but fear thou God.
There are certainly many dreams, questions of meaning, and lots of different ideas, but you are to follow God.
8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent perverting of justice and righteousness in the state, marvel not at the matter; for one higher than the high watcheth, and there are higher than they.
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 But the profit of a land every way is a king that maketh himself servant to the field.
However, what the land produces is for everyone—even the king benefits from what is grown.
10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance, with increase; 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 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, saving the beholding of them with his eyes?
The more you earn, the more you have eating into your income. It only looks like you have more!
12 Sweet is the sleep of a labouring man, whether he eat little or much; but the satiety 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 a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt;
I observed something here that is really sickening: people who hoard money damage themselves.
14 and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.
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 of his mother's womb, naked shall he go back as he came, and shall take nothing for his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
When we die, we leave just as naked as when we were born, taking nothing with us from all we've worked for.
16 And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go; and what profit hath he that he laboureth for the wind?
This also makes me sick! What do people gain, working for the wind?
17 All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much vexation and sickness and wrath.
They live their lives in darkness, very frustrated, sick, and resentful.
18 Behold that which I have seen: it is good, yea, it is comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy pleasure for all his labour, wherein he laboureth under the sun, all the days of his life which God hath given him; for 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 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.
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 let him remember the days of his life that they are not many; for God answereth him in the joy of his heart.
In fact such people have little time to think about life because God keeps them busy with all that makes them happy.
