Ecclesiastes 5
1 Keep your feet when you go to 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.
Put your feet down with care when you go to the house of God, for it is better to give ear than to make the burned offerings of the foolish, whose knowledge is only of doing evil.
2 Do not cause your mouth to hurry, and do not let your heart hurry to bring out a word before God, for God is in the heavens, and you on the earth, therefore let your words be few.
Be not unwise with your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to say anything before God, because God is in heaven and you are on the earth — so let not the number of your words be great.
3 For the dream has come by abundance of business, and the voice of a fool by abundance of words.
As a dream comes from much business, so the voice of a foolish man comes with words in great number.
4 When you vow a vow to God, do not delay to complete it, for there is no pleasure in fools; that which you vow—complete.
When you take an oath before God, put it quickly into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you have taken.
5 Better that you do not vow, than that you vow and do not complete.
It is better not to take an oath than to take an oath and not keep it.
6 Do not permit your mouth to cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger that it [is] ignorance. Why is God angry because of your voice and has destroyed the work of your hands?
Let not your mouth make your flesh do evil. And say not before the angel, It was an error. So that God may not be angry with your words and put an end to the work of your hands.
7 For in the abundance of dreams both vanities and words abound; but fear God.
Because much talk comes from dreams and things of no purpose. But let the fear of God be in you.
8 If oppression of the poor, and violent taking away of judgment and righteousness you see in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for a higher than the high is observing, and high ones [are] over them.
If you see the poor under a cruel yoke, and law and right being violently overturned in a country, be not surprised, because one authority is keeping watch on another and there are higher than they.
9 And the abundance of a land is for all. A king for a field is served.
It is good generally for a country where the land is worked to have a king.
10 Whoever is loving silver is not satisfied [with] silver, nor he who is in love with stores [with] increase. Even this [is] vanity.
He who has a love for silver never has enough silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no purpose.
11 In the multiplying of good have its consumers been multiplied, and what benefit [is] to its possessor except the sight of his eyes?
When goods are increased, the number of those who take of them is increased; and what profit has the owner but to see them?
12 Sweet [is] the sleep of the laborer whether he eat little or much; and the sufficiency of the wealthy is not permitting him to sleep.
The sleep of a working man is sweet, if he has little food or much; but to him who is full, sleep will not come.
13 There is a painful evil I have seen under the sun: wealth kept for its possessor, for his evil.
There is a great evil which I have seen under the sun — wealth kept by the owner to be his downfall.
14 And that wealth has been lost in an evil business, and he has begotten a son and there is nothing in his hand!
And I saw the destruction of his wealth by an evil chance; and when he became the father of a son he had nothing in his hand.
15 As he came out from the belly of his mother, naked he turns back to go as he came, and he does not take away anything of his labor, that goes in his hand.
As he came from his mother at birth, so does he go again; he gets from his work no reward which he may take away in his hand.
16 And this also [is] a painful evil, just as he came, so he goes, and what advantage [is] to him who labors for wind?
And this again is a great evil, that in all points as he came so will he go; and what profit has he in working for the wind?
17 He also consumes all his days in darkness, and sadness, and wrath, and sickness abound.
All his days are in the dark, and he has much sorrow, pain, disease, and trouble.
18 Behold, that which I have seen: [It is] good, because beautiful, to eat, and to drink, and to see good in all one’s labor that he labors at under the sun, the number of the days of his life that God has given to him, for it [is] his portion.
This is what I have seen: it is good and fair for a man to take meat and drink and to have joy in all his work under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; that is his reward.
19 Every man also to whom God has given wealth and riches, and has given him power to eat of it, and to accept his portion, and to rejoice in his labor, this is a gift of God.
Every man to whom God has given money and wealth and the power to have pleasure in it and to do his part and have joy in his work: this is given by God.
20 For he does not much remember the days of his life, for God is answering through the joy of his heart.
He will not give much thought to the days of his life; because God lets him be taken up with the joy of his heart.
