Ecclesiastes 5

1 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.

Keep thy feet when thou goest unto 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 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.

Cause not thy mouth to hasten, and let not thy heart hasten to bring out a word before God, for God is in the heavens, and thou on the earth, therefore let thy words be few.

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

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

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

When thou vowest a vow to God, delay not to complete it, for there is no pleasure in fools; that which thou vowest — complete.

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

Better that thou do not vow, than that thou dost vow and dost not complete.

6 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?

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger, that 'it [is] an error,' why is God wroth because of thy voice, and hath destroyed the work of thy hands?

7 For [thus it cometh to pass] through the multitude of dreams and vanities and many words: but fear thou God.

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

8 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.

If oppression of the poor, and violent taking away of judgment and righteousness thou seest in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for a higher than the high is observing, and high ones [are] over them.

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

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; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this also is vanity.

Whoso 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 is there to the owner thereof, saving 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 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.

Sweet [is] the sleep of the labourer whether he eat little or much; and the sufficiency of the wealthy is not suffering him to sleep.

13 There is a grievous evil, which I have seen under the sun, [namely], 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 and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.

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

15 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.

As he came out from the belly of his mother, naked he turneth back to go as he came, and he taketh not away anything of his labour, that doth go in his hand.

16 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?

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

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

Also all his days in darkness he consumeth, and sadness, and wrath, and sickness abound.

18 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.

Lo, that which I have seen: [It is] good, because beautiful, to eat, and to drink, and to see good in all one's labour that he laboureth at under the sun, the number of the days of his life that God hath given to him, for it [is] his portion.

19 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.

Every man also to whom God hath given wealth and riches, and hath given him power to eat of it, and to accept his portion, and to rejoice in his labour, this is a gift of God.

20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth [him] in the joy of his heart.

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