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.
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 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.
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 Dreams follow many cares: and in many words shall be found folly.
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 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 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 And it is much better not to vow, than after a vow not to perform the things promised.
It is better not to make a vow than to make one that you do not carry out.
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 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 Where there are many dreams, there are many vanities, and words without number: but do thou fear God.
For in many dreams, as in many words, there is meaningless vapor. So fear God.
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:
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 Moreover there is the king that reigneth over all the land subject to him.
In addition, the produce of the land is for everyone, and the king himself takes produce from the fields.
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.
Anyone who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, and anyone who loves wealth always wants more. This, too, is vapor.
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?
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 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.
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 also another grievous evil, which I have seen under the sun: riches kept to the hurt of the owner.
There is an evil that I have seen under the sun: riches hoarded by the owner, resulting in his own misery.
14 For they are lost with very great affliction: he hath begotten a son, who shall be in extremity of want.
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 forth naked from his mother’s womb, so shall he return, and shall take nothing away with him of his labour.
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 A most deplorable evil: as he came, so shall he return. What then doth it profit him that he hath laboured 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 the days of his life he eateth in darkness, and in many cares, and in misery, and sorrow.
During his days he eats with darkness and is greatly distressed with sickness and anger.
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.
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 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.
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 For he shall not much remember the days of his life, because God entertaineth his heart with delight,
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.
