Ecclesiastes 5

1 Put your feet down with care when you go to the house of God, for it is better to give ear than to make the burned offerings of the foolish, whose knowledge is only of doing evil.

Keep thy foot, when thou goest unto the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than dullards to offer sacrifice, —for they make no acknowledgment of doing wrong.

2 Be not unwise with your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to say anything before God, because God is in heaven and you are on the earth — so let not the number of your words be great.

Be not rash with thy mouth, and, with thy heart, be not in haste to bring forth a word, before God, —for, God, is in the heavens, and, thou, upon the earth, for this cause, let thy words be few.

3 As a dream comes from much business, so the voice of a foolish man comes with words in great number.

For a dream cometh through the multitude of business, —and, the voice of a dullard, is with a multitude of words.

4 When you take an oath before God, put it quickly into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you have taken.

When thou vowest a vow unto God, do not defer to pay it, for there is no pleasure in dullards, —what thou vowest, pay!

5 It is better not to take an oath than to take an oath and not keep it.

Better that thou shouldest not vow, —than vow, and not pay.

6 Let not your mouth make your flesh do evil. And say not before the angel, It was an error. So that God may not be angry with your words and put an end to the work of your hands.

Do not let thy mouth cause thy flesh to sin, —neither say thou, before the messenger, that it was, a mistake, —wherefore should God be indignant at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?

7 Because much talk comes from dreams and things of no purpose. But let the fear of God be in you.

For [it was done] amidst a multitude of dreams, and vanities, and many words, —but, towards God, be thou reverent.

8 If you see the poor under a cruel yoke, and law and right being violently overturned in a country, be not surprised, because one authority is keeping watch on another and there are higher than they.

If, the oppression of the poor, and the wresting of justice and righteousness, thou see in the province, do not be astonished over the matter, —for, one high above the highest, is watching, yea, the Most High, is over them.

9 It is good generally for a country where the land is worked to have a king.

And, the profit of the earth, is, for all, —a king, by the field, is served.

10 He who has a love for silver never has enough silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no purpose.

He that loveth silver, shall not be satisfied with silver nor, he that loveth abundance, with revenue, —even this, was vanity.

11 When goods are increased, the number of those who take of them is increased; and what profit has the owner but to see them?

When blessings are increased, increased are the eaters thereof, —what profit, then, to the owner of them saving the sight of his eyes?

12 The sleep of a working man is sweet, if he has little food or much; but to him who is full, sleep will not come.

Sweet the sleep of the labourer, whether, little or much, he eat, —but, the surfeit of the rich man, will not suffer him to sleep.

13 There is a great evil which I have seen under the sun — wealth kept by the owner to be his downfall.

Here was an incurable evil, I had seen under the sun, riches kept by the owner thereof, to his hurt;

14 And I saw the destruction of his wealth by an evil chance; and when he became the father of a son he had nothing in his hand.

and those riches perish, by being ill employed, —and though he begetteth a son, yet is there in his hand nothing at all.

15 As he came from his mother at birth, so does he go again; he gets from his work no reward which he may take away in his hand.

As he came from his mother’s womb, naked, he again departeth, as he came, —and, nothing, can he take of his toil, which he can carry in his hand.

16 And this again is a great evil, that in all points as he came so will he go; and what profit has he in working for the wind?

Even this, moreover, is an incurable evil, altogether as he came, so, shall he depart, —what profit then shall he have who toileth for the wind?

17 All his days are in the dark, and he has much sorrow, pain, disease, and trouble.

Even all his days, [are spent] in darkness and mourning, —and he is very morose, and is sad and angry.

18 This is what I have seen: it is good and fair for a man to take meat and drink and to have joy in all his work under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; that is his reward.

Lo! what, I myself, have seen—Better that it should be excellent to eat and to drink and to see blessedness, in all one’s toil wherein one toileth under the sun, for the number of the days of his life, in that God hath given it him, for, that, is his portion:

19 Every man to whom God has given money and wealth and the power to have pleasure in it and to do his part and have joy in his work: this is given by God.

yet, as regardeth every man, to whom God hath given wealth and goods, and granted him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to find gladness in his toil, this, is, the gift of God.

20 He will not give much thought to the days of his life; because God lets him be taken up with the joy of his heart.

Though it be not much, let him remember the days of his life, —for, God, beareth witness, by the gladness of his heart.