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.
Keep thy foot, when thou goest into the house of God, and draw nigh to hear. For much better is obedience, than the victims of fools, who know not what evil they do.
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.
Speak not any thing rashly, 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.
3 For the dream has come by abundance of business, and the voice of a fool by abundance of words.
Dreams follow many cares: and in many words shall be found folly.
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.
If thou hast vowed any thing to God, defer not to pay it: for an unfaithful and foolish promise displeaseth him: but whatsoever thou hast vowed, pay it.
5 Better that you do not vow, than that you vow and do not complete.
And it is much better not to vow, than after a vow not to perform the things promised.
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?
Give not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin: and say not before the angel: There is no providence: lest God be angry at thy words, and destroy all the works of thy hands.
7 For in the abundance of dreams both vanities and words abound; but fear God.
Where there are many dreams, there are many vanities, and words without number: but do thou fear God.
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 thou shalt see the oppressions of the poor, and violent judgments, and justice perverted in the province, wonder not at this matter: for he that is high hath another higher, and there are others still higher than these:
9 And the abundance of a land is for all. A king for a field is served.
Moreover there is the king that reigneth over all the land subject to him.
10 Whoever is loving silver is not satisfied [with] silver, nor he who is in love with stores [with] increase. Even this [is] vanity.
A covetous man shall not be satisfied with money: and he that loveth riches shall reap no fruit from them: so this also is vanity.
11 In the multiplying of good have its consumers been multiplied, and what benefit [is] to its possessor except the sight of his eyes?
Where there are great riches, there are also many to eat them. And what doth it profit the owner, but that he seeth the riches with his eyes?
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.
Sleep is sweet to a labouring man, whether he eat little or much: but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
13 There is a painful evil I have seen under the sun: wealth kept for its possessor, for his evil.
There is also another grievous evil, which I have seen under the sun: riches kept to the hurt of the owner.
14 And that wealth has been lost in an evil business, and he has begotten a son and there is nothing in his hand!
For they are lost with very great affliction: he hath begotten a son, who shall be in extremity of want.
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 forth naked from his mother’s womb, so shall he return, and shall take nothing away with him of his labour.
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?
A most deplorable evil: as he came, so shall he return. What then doth it profit him that he hath laboured for the wind?
17 He also consumes all his days in darkness, and sadness, and wrath, and sickness abound.
All the days of his life he eateth in darkness, and in many cares, and in misery, and sorrow.
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 therefore hath seemed good to me, that a man should eat and drink, and enjoy the fruit of his labour, wherewith he hath laboured under the sun, all the days of his life, which God hath given him: and this is his portion.
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.
And every man to whom God hath given riches, and substance, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to enjoy his portion, and to rejoice of his labour: this is the gift of God.
20 For he does not much remember the days of his life, for God is answering through the joy of his heart.
For he shall not much remember the days of his life, because God entertaineth his heart with delight,
