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 to the house of God; for to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they know not that they do 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 rash with thy month, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing 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.

For a dream cometh with a multitude of business; and a fool’s voice with a multitude of words.

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 thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou vowest.

5 Better that you do not vow, than that you vow and do not complete.

Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

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?

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

7 For in the abundance of dreams both vanities and words abound; but fear God.

For [thus it cometh to pass] through the multitude of dreams and vanities and many words: but fear thou 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 seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for one higher than the high regardeth; and there be higher than they.

9 And the abundance of a land is for all. A king for a field is served.

Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king [himself] is served by the field.

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 that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: 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?

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?

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 labouring man is sweet, 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 a grievous evil, which I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt:

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 those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is 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 forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labour, which he may carry 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 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?

17 He also consumes all his days in darkness, and sadness, and wrath, and sickness abound.

All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he is sore vexed and hath sickness and wrath.

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.

Behold, that which I have seen to be good and to be comely is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in 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.

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 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.

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 answereth [him] in the joy of his heart.