Ecclesiastes 5

1 Keep thy foot, when thou goest into the house of God, and draw nigh to hear. For much better is obedience, than the victims of fools, who know not what evil they do.

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 Speak not any thing rashly, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

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 Dreams follow many cares: and in many words shall be found folly.

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

4 If thou hast vowed any thing to God, defer not to pay it: for an unfaithful and foolish promise displeaseth him: but whatsoever thou hast vowed, pay it.

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 And it is much better not to vow, than after a vow not to perform the things promised.

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

6 Give not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin: and say not before the angel: There is no providence: lest God be angry at thy words, and destroy all the works of thy 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 Where there are many dreams, there are many vanities, and words without number: but do thou fear God.

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

8 If thou shalt see the oppressions of the poor, and violent judgments, and justice perverted in the province, wonder not at this matter: for he that is high hath another higher, and there are others still higher than these:

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 Moreover there is the king that reigneth over all the land subject to him.

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

10 A covetous man shall not be satisfied with money: and he that loveth riches shall reap no fruit from them: so this also is vanity.

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

11 Where there are great riches, there are also many to eat them. And what doth it profit the owner, but that he seeth the riches with his eyes?

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

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

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 also another grievous evil, which I have seen under the sun: riches kept to the hurt of the owner.

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

14 For they are lost with very great affliction: he hath begotten a son, who shall be in extremity of want.

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 forth naked from his mother’s womb, so shall he return, and shall take nothing away with him of his labour.

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 A most deplorable evil: as he came, so shall he return. What then doth it profit him that he hath laboured 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 the days of his life he eateth in darkness, and in many cares, and in misery, and sorrow.

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

18 This therefore hath seemed good to me, that a man should eat and drink, and enjoy the fruit of his labour, wherewith he hath laboured under the sun, all the days of his life, which God hath given him: and this is his portion.

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 And every man to whom God hath given riches, and substance, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to enjoy his portion, and to rejoice of his labour: this is the gift of 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 For he shall not much remember the days of his life, because God entertaineth his heart with delight,

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