Ecclesiastes 5

1 Look well to thy feet, when thou goest to the house of God, and draw nigh to hear, rather than to offer sacrifice as fools. For they consider not that they do evil.

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.

2 Be not hasty with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be swift to utter any thing before God. For God is in heaven, and thou upon earth. Therefore let thy words be few.

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.

3 For a dream cometh with much bustle, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.

For the dream has come by abundance of business, and the voice of a fool by abundance of words.

4 When thou vowest a vow to God, delay not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools. Pay that which thou hast vowed.

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.

5 Better is it that thou shouldst not vow than that thou shouldst vow and not pay.

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

6 Suffer not thy mouth to bring punishment on thy flesh, and say not before the angel, “It was a mistake.” Wherefore should God be angry on account of thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?

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?

7 For in a multitude of dreams is a multitude of vanities; so also in a multitude of words; but fear thou God!

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

8 If thou seest oppression of the poor, and justice and equity perverted in a province, be not alarmed at the matter. For over the high there is a higher, who watcheth, and there is one higher than they all.

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.

9 An advantage to a land in all respects is a king over cultivated ground.

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

10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; and he that loveth riches shall have no profit from them. This also is vanity.

Whoever is loving silver is not satisfied [with] silver, nor he who is in love with stores [with] increase. Even this [is] vanity.

11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage hath the owner thereof, save the beholding of them with his eyes?

In the multiplying of good have its consumers been multiplied, and what benefit [is] to its possessor except the sight of his eyes?

12 Sweet is the sleep of a laboring man, whether he have eaten little or much; but the repletion of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

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.

13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, — riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt.

There is a painful evil I have seen under the sun: wealth kept for its possessor, for his evil.

14 For those riches perish by some calamity, and, if he have a son, there is nothing in his hand.

And that wealth has been lost in an evil business, and he has begotten a son and there is nothing in his hand!

15 As he came forth from his mother's womb naked, so shall he go away again, as he came, and shall take away nothing of his labor which he may carry in his hand.

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.

16 This is also a sore evil, that, in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit is there to him who toileth for wind?

And this also [is] a painful evil, just as he came, so he goes, and what advantage [is] to him who labors for wind?

17 Also all his days he ate in darkness, and had much grief and anxiety and vexation.

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

18 Behold, what I have seen is, that it is good and proper for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor which he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him; for it is his portion.

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.

19 To whatever man also God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him to enjoy them, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.

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.

20 For he will not much remember the days of his life; for God answereth him with the joy of his heart.

For he does not much remember the days of his life, for God is answering through the joy of his heart.