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 unto the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than dullards to offer sacrifice, —for they make no acknowledgment of doing wrong.
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 mouth, and, with thy heart, be not in haste to bring forth a word, before God, —for, God, is in the heavens, and, thou, upon the earth, for this cause, 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 through the multitude of business, —and, the voice of a dullard, is 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, do not defer to pay it, for there is no pleasure in dullards, —what thou vowest, pay!
5 Better that you do not vow, than that you vow and do not complete.
Better that thou shouldest not vow, —than 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?
Do not let thy mouth cause thy flesh to sin, —neither say thou, before the messenger, that it was, a mistake, —wherefore should God be indignant at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?
7 For in the abundance of dreams both vanities and words abound; but fear God.
For [it was done] amidst a multitude of dreams, and vanities, and many words, —but, towards God, be thou reverent.
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, the oppression of the poor, and the wresting of justice and righteousness, thou see in the province, do not be astonished over the matter, —for, one high above the highest, is watching, yea, the Most High, is over them.
9 And the abundance of a land is for all. A king for a field is served.
And, the profit of the earth, is, for all, —a king, by the field, is served.
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 revenue, —even this, was 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 blessings are increased, increased are the eaters thereof, —what profit, then, to the owner of them saving the sight of 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.
Sweet the sleep of the labourer, whether, little or much, he eat, —but, the surfeit of the rich man, 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.
Here was an incurable evil, I had seen under the sun, 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 being ill employed, —and though he begetteth a son, yet is there in his hand nothing at all.
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’s womb, naked, he again departeth, as he came, —and, nothing, can he take of his toil, which he can carry 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?
Even this, moreover, is an incurable evil, altogether as he came, so, shall he depart, —what profit then shall he have who toileth for the wind?
17 He also consumes all his days in darkness, and sadness, and wrath, and sickness abound.
Even all his days, [are spent] in darkness and mourning, —and he is very morose, and is sad and angry.
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.
Lo! what, I myself, have seen—Better that it should be excellent to eat and to drink and to see blessedness, in all one’s toil wherein one toileth under the sun, for the number of the days of his life, in that God hath given it him, for, that, 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.
yet, as regardeth every man, to whom God hath given wealth and goods, and granted him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to find gladness in his toil, 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.
Though it be not much, let him remember the days of his life, —for, God, beareth witness, by the gladness of his heart.
