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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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

It is better not to make a vow than to make one that you do not carry out.

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 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?

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

For in many dreams, as in many words, there is meaningless vapor. So fear God.

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.

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.

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

In addition, the produce of the land is for everyone, and the king himself takes produce from the fields.

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.

Anyone who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, and anyone who loves wealth always wants more. This, too, is vapor.

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?

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?

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.

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.

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

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun: riches hoarded by the owner, resulting in his own misery.

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.

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.

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 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.

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?

Another evil is that as a person comes, so he goes away. So what profit is there for him who works for the wind?

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

During his days he eats with darkness and is greatly distressed with sickness and anger.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.