Ecclesiastes 5

1 Take heede to thy foote when thou entrest into the House of God, and be more neere to heare then to giue the sacrifice of fooles: for they knowe not that they doe euil.

Keep your feet when you go to a house of God, and draw near to hear rather than to give of fools the sacrifice, for they do not know they do evil.

2 Be not rash with thy mouth, nor let thine heart be hastie to vtter a thing before God: for God is in the heauens, and thou art on the earth: therefore let thy wordes be fewe.

Do not cause your mouth to hurry, and do not let your heart hurry to bring out a word before God, for God is in the heavens, and you on the earth, therefore let your words be few.

3 For as a dreame commeth by the multitude of businesse: so the voyce of a foole is in the multitude of wordes.

For the dream has come by abundance of business, and the voice of a fool by abundance of words.

4 When thou hast vowed a vowe to God, deferre not to pay it: for he deliteth not in fooles: pay therefore that thou hast vowed.

When you vow a vow to God, do not delay to complete it, for there is no pleasure in fools; that which you vow—complete.

5 It is better that thou shouldest not vowe, then that thou shouldest vow and not pay it.

Better that you do not vow, than that you vow and do not complete.

6 Suffer not thy mouth to make thy flesh to sinne: neither say before the Angel, that this is ignorance: wherefore shall God bee angry by thy voyce, and destroy the worke of thine hands?

Do not permit your mouth to cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger that it [is] ignorance. Why is God angry because of your voice and has destroyed the work of your hands?

7 For in the multitude of dreames, and vanities are also many wordes: but feare thou God.

For in the abundance of dreams both vanities and words abound; but fear God.

8 If in a countrey thou seest the oppression of the poore, and the defrauding of iudgement and iustice, be not astonied at the matter: for hee that is higher then the highest, regardeth, and there be higher then they.

If oppression of the poor, and violent taking away of judgment and righteousness you see in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for a higher than the high is observing, and high ones [are] over them.

9 And the abundance of the earth is ouer all: the King also consisteth by the fielde that is tilled.

And the abundance of a land is for all. A king for a field is served.

10 He that loueth siluer, shall not be satisfied with siluer, and he that loueth riches, shalbe without the fruite thereof: this also is vanitie.

Whoever is loving silver is not satisfied [with] silver, nor he who is in love with stores [with] increase. Even this [is] vanity.

11 When goods increase, they are increased that eate them: and what good commeth to the owners thereof, but the beholding thereof with their eyes?

In the multiplying of good have its consumers been multiplied, and what benefit [is] to its possessor except the sight of his eyes?

12 The sleepe of him that traueileth, is sweete, whether he eate litle or much: but the sacietie of the riche will not suffer him to sleepe.

Sweet [is] the sleep of the laborer whether he eat little or much; and the sufficiency of the wealthy is not permitting him to sleep.

13 There is an euill sickenes that I haue seene vnder the sunne: to wit, riches reserued to the owners thereof for their euill.

There is a painful evil I have seen under the sun: wealth kept for its possessor, for his evil.

14 And these riches perish by euill trauel, and he begetteth a sonne, and in his hand is nothing.

And that wealth has been lost in an evil business, and he has begotten a son and there is nothing in his hand!

15 As hee came foorth of his mothers belly, he shall returne naked to goe as he came, and shall beare away nothing of his labour, which hee hath caused to passe by his hand.

As he came out from the belly of his mother, naked he turns back to go as he came, and he does not take away anything of his labor, that goes in his hand.

16 And this also is an euill sickenes that in all pointes as he came, so shall he goe, and what profit hath he that he hath traueiled for the winde?

And this also [is] a painful evil, just as he came, so he goes, and what advantage [is] to him who labors for wind?

17 Also all his dayes hee eateth in darkenes with much griefe, and in his sorowe and anger.

He also consumes all his days in darkness, and sadness, and wrath, and sickness abound.

18 Beholde then, what I haue seene good, that it is comely to eate, and to drinke, and to take pleasure in all his labour, wherein he traueileth vnder the sunne, the whole nomber of the dayes of his life, which God giueth him: for this is his portion.

Behold, that which I have seen: [It is] good, because beautiful, to eat, and to drink, and to see good in all one’s labor that he labors at under the sun, the number of the days of his life that God has given to him, for it [is] his portion.

19 Also to euery man to whom God hath giuen riches and treasures, and giueth him power to eate thereof, and to take his part, and to enioy his labour: this is the gift of God.

Every man also to whom God has given wealth and riches, and has given him power to eat of it, and to accept his portion, and to rejoice in his labor, this is a gift of God.

20 Surely hee will not much remember the dayes of his life, because God answereth to the ioy of his heart.

For he does not much remember the days of his life, for God is answering through the joy of his heart.