Ecclesiastes 5

1 Guard your steps when you go to God’s house; for to draw near to listen is better than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they don’t know that they do evil.

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.

2 Don’t be rash with your mouth, and don’t let your heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and you on earth. Therefore let your words be few.

Be not rash with thy mouth, 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.

3 For as a dream comes with a multitude of cares, so a fool’s speech with a multitude of words.

For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.

4 When you vow a vow to God, don’t defer to pay it; for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay that which you vow.

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

5 It is better that you should not vow, than that you should vow and not pay.

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

6 Don’t allow your mouth to lead you into sin. Don’t protest before the messenger that this was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice, and destroy the work of your hands?

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?

7 For in the multitude of dreams there are vanities, as well as in many words; but you must fear God.

For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

8 If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in a district, don’t marvel at the matter, for one official is eyed by a higher one, and there are officials over them.

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.

9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all. The king profits from the field.

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

10 He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

11 When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes?

When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.

The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

13 There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.

There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

14 Those riches perish by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.

But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

15 As he came out 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 forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

16 This also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit does he have who labours for the wind?

And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

17 All his days he also eats in darkness, he is frustrated, and has sickness and wrath.

All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

18 Behold, that which I have seen to be good and proper is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labour, in which he labours under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; for this is his portion.

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 labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

19 Every man also to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat of it, 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 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.

20 For he shall not often reflect on the days of his life, because God occupies him with the joy of his heart.

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