Ecclesiastes 5
1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
Take heede to thy foote when thou entrest into the House of God, and be more neere to heare then to giue the sacrifice of fooles: for they knowe not that they doe euil.
2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God: for God [is] in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
Be not rash with thy mouth, nor let thine heart be hastie to vtter a thing before God: for God is in the heauens, and thou art on the earth: therefore let thy wordes be fewe.
3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice [is known] by a multitude of words.
For as a dreame commeth by the multitude of businesse: so the voyce of a foole is in the multitude of wordes.
4 When thou vowest a vow to God, defer not to pay it; for [he hath] no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
When thou hast vowed a vowe to God, deferre not to pay it: for he deliteth not in fooles: pay therefore that thou hast vowed.
5 Better [is it] that thou shouldst not vow, than that thou shouldst vow and not pay.
It is better that thou shouldest not vowe, then that thou shouldest vow and not pay it.
6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it [was] an error: why should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?
Suffer not thy mouth to make thy flesh to sinne: neither say before the Angel, that this is ignorance: wherefore shall God bee angry by thy voyce, and destroy the worke of thine hands?
7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words [there are] also [divers] vanities: but fear thou God.
For in the multitude of dreames, and vanities are also many wordes: but feare thou God.
8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perversion of judgment and justice in a province, wonder not at the matter: for [he that is] higher than the highest regardeth; and [there are] higher than they.
If in a countrey thou seest the oppression of the poore, and the defrauding of iudgement and iustice, be not astonied at the matter: for hee that is higher then the highest, regardeth, and there be higher then they.
9 Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all: the king [himself] is served by the field.
And the abundance of the earth is ouer all: the King also consisteth by the fielde that is tilled.
10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this [is] also vanity.
He that loueth siluer, shall not be satisfied with siluer, and he that loueth riches, shalbe without the fruite thereof: this also is vanitie.
11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good [is there] to the owners of them, saving the beholding [of them] with their eyes?
When goods increase, they are increased that eate them: and what good commeth to the owners thereof, but the beholding thereof with their eyes?
12 The sleep of a laboring man [is] sweet, whether he eateth little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
The sleepe of him that traueileth, is sweete, whether he eate litle or much: but the sacietie of the riche will not suffer him to sleepe.
13 There is a grievous evil [which] I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept for the owners of them to their hurt.
There is an euill sickenes that I haue seene vnder the sunne: to wit, riches reserued to the owners thereof for their euill.
14 But those riches perish by evil labor: and he begetteth a son, and [there is] nothing in his hand.
And these riches perish by euill trauel, and he begetteth a sonne, and in his hand is nothing.
15 As he came into the world, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.
As hee came foorth of his mothers belly, he shall returne naked to goe as he came, and shall beare away nothing of his labour, which hee hath caused to passe by 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 hath labored for the wind?
And this also is an euill sickenes that in all pointes as he came, so shall he goe, and what profit hath he that he hath traueiled for the winde?
17 All his days also he eateth in darkness, and [he hath] much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.
Also all his dayes hee eateth in darkenes with much griefe, and in his sorowe and anger.
18 Behold [that] which I have seen: [it is] good and comely [for one] to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it [is] his portion.
Beholde then, what I haue seene good, that it is comely to eate, and to drinke, and to take pleasure in all his labour, wherein he traueileth vnder the sunne, the whole nomber of the dayes of his life, which God giueth him: for this is his portion.
19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this [is] the gift of God.
Also to euery man to whom God hath giuen riches and treasures, and giueth him power to eate thereof, and to take his part, and to enioy his labour: this is the 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.
Surely hee will not much remember the dayes of his life, because God answereth to the ioy of his heart.
