Ecclesiastes 5
1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not understand that they are doing what is wrong.
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.
2 Do not be too quick to speak with your mouth, and do not let your heart be too quick to bring any matter up before God. God is in heaven, but you are on earth, so let your words be few.
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.
3 If you have too many things to do and worry about, you will probably have bad dreams. The more words you speak, the more foolish things you will probably say.
For a dream cometh with much bustle, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to do it, for God has no pleasure in fools. Do what you vow you will do.
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.
5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one that you do not carry out.
Better is it that thou shouldst not vow than that thou shouldst vow and not pay.
6 Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin. Do not say to the priest's messenger, “That vow was a mistake.” Why make God angry by vowing falsely, provoking God to destroy the work of your hands?
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?
7 For in many dreams, as in many words, there is meaningless vapor. So fear God.
For in a multitude of dreams is a multitude of vanities; so also in a multitude of words; but fear thou God!
8 When you see the poor being oppressed and robbed of just and right treatment in your province, do not be astonished as if no one knows, because there are people in power who watch those under them, and there are even higher ones over them.
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.
9 In addition, the produce of the land is for everyone, and the king himself takes produce from the fields.
An advantage to a land in all respects is a king over cultivated ground.
10 Anyone who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, and anyone who loves wealth always wants more. This, too, is vapor.
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.
11 As prosperity increases, so also do the people who consume it. What advantage in wealth is there to the owner except to watch it with his eyes?
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage hath the owner thereof, save the beholding of them with his eyes?
12 The sleep of a working man is sweet, whether he eats little or a lot, but the wealth of a rich person does not allow him to sleep well.
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.
13 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun: riches hoarded by the owner, resulting in his own misery.
There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, — riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt.
14 When the rich man loses his wealth through bad luck, his own son, one whom he has fathered, is left with nothing in his hands.
For those riches perish by some calamity, and, if he have a son, there is nothing in his hand.
15 As a man comes from his mother's womb, so also he will leave naked. He can take none of the fruits of his labor in his hand.
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.
16 Another evil is that as a person comes, so he goes away. So what profit is there for him who works for the wind?
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?
17 During his days he eats with darkness and is greatly distressed with sickness and anger.
Also all his days he ate in darkness, and had much grief and anxiety and vexation.
18 Look, what I have seen to be good and suitable is to eat and drink and to enjoy the gain from all our work, as we labor under the sun during the days of this life that God has given us. For this is man's assignment.
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.
19 Anyone to whom God has given riches and wealth and the ability to receive his share and rejoice in his work—this is a gift from God.
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.
20 For he does not call to mind very often the days of his life, because God makes him keep busy with the things that he enjoys doing.
For he will not much remember the days of his life; for God answereth him with the joy of his heart.
