Ecclesiastes 5

1 Be careful when you go into God's house. It's better to listen and respond rather than offer meaningless sacrifices. People who do that don't even know they are doing wrong.

Look well to thy feet, when thou goest to the house of God, and draw nigh to hear, rather than to offer sacrifice as fools. For they consider not that they do evil.

2 Don't say rash things, and think before you speak to God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so keep it short.

Be not hasty with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be swift to utter any thing before God. For God is in heaven, and thou upon earth. Therefore let thy words be few.

3 When you worry too much, you get nightmares; when you talk too much, you say foolish things.

For a dream cometh with much bustle, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.

4 When you make a vow to God, with a curse on you if you don't keep it, don't be slow in keeping it, for he is not happy with foolish behavior. So do what you promised!

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

5 Better not to make any vows at all than to make vow you don't keep.

Better is it that thou shouldst not vow than that thou shouldst vow and not pay.

6 Don't let your mouth cause you to sin. And don't tell the priest that your vow was a mistake, for why would you antagonize God by breaking your promise? He could bring your own curse down on you.

Suffer not thy mouth to bring punishment on thy flesh, and say not before the angel, “It was a mistake.” Wherefore should God be angry on account of thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?

7 There are certainly many dreams, questions of meaning, and lots of different ideas, but you are to follow God.

For in a multitude of dreams is a multitude of vanities; so also in a multitude of words; but fear thou God!

8 If you see poor people somewhere being oppressed, or truth and justice violated, don't be shocked at it, for every official is responsible to others higher up, and there are officials over them as well.

If thou seest oppression of the poor, and justice and equity perverted in a province, be not alarmed at the matter. For over the high there is a higher, who watcheth, and there is one higher than they all.

9 However, what the land produces is for everyone—even the king benefits from what is grown.

An advantage to a land in all respects is a king over cultivated ground.

10 People who love money never have enough money; those who love wealth never have enough income. This too is so temporary and makes little sense.

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; and he that loveth riches shall have no profit from them. This also is vanity.

11 The more you earn, the more you have eating into your income. It only looks like you have more!

When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage hath the owner thereof, save the beholding of them with his eyes?

12 Those who work hard sleep well, whether they have a little to eat or plenty, but the rich own so much they don't get any rest.

Sweet is the sleep of a laboring man, whether he have eaten little or much; but the repletion of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

13 I observed something here that is really sickening: people who hoard money damage themselves.

There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, — riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt.

14 They put their money into bad investments and lose everything. Now when we're born, we don't bring anything into the world.

For those riches perish by some calamity, and, if he have a son, there is nothing in his hand.

15 When we die, we leave just as naked as when we were born, taking nothing with us from all we've worked for.

As he came forth from his mother's womb naked, so shall he go away again, as he came, and shall take away nothing of his labor which he may carry in his hand.

16 This also makes me sick! What do people gain, working for the wind?

This is also a sore evil, that, in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit is there to him who toileth for wind?

17 They live their lives in darkness, very frustrated, sick, and resentful.

Also all his days he ate in darkness, and had much grief and anxiety and vexation.

18 But I observed that what is good and right is to eat, drink, and to find enjoyment in the work God gives us here in this life. This is God's gift to us.

Behold, what I have seen is, that it is good and proper for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor which he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him; for it is his portion.

19 In addition, everyone to whom God gives wealth and possessions he also gives the ability to enjoy these gifts, to be grateful for what they are given, and to enjoy the work they do. This is also God's gift to us.

To whatever man also God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him to enjoy them, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.

20 In fact such people have little time to think about life because God keeps them busy with all that makes them happy.

For he will not much remember the days of his life; for God answereth him with the joy of his heart.