Ecclesiastes 5
1 custodi pedem tuum ingrediens domum Dei multo enim melior est oboedientia quam stultorum victimae qui nesciunt quid faciant mali
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
2 ne temere quid loquaris neque cor tuum sit velox ad proferendum sermonem coram Deo Deus enim in caelo et tu super terram idcirco sint pauci sermones tui
Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. After all, God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few.
3 multas curas sequuntur somnia et in multis sermonibus invenitur stultitia
As a dream comes through many cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.
4 si quid vovisti Deo ne moreris reddere displicet enim ei infidelis et stulta promissio sed quodcumque voveris redde
When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow.
5 multoque melius est non vovere quam post votum promissa non conplere
It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
6 ne dederis os tuum ut peccare faciat carnem tuam neque dicas coram angelo non est providentia ne forte iratus Deus super sermone tuo dissipet cuncta opera manuum tuarum
Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, and do not tell the messenger that your vow was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?
7 ubi multa sunt somnia plurimae vanitates et sermones innumeri tu vero Deum time
For as many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God.
8 si videris calumnias egenorum et violenta iudicia et subverti iustitiam in provincia non mireris super hoc negotio quia excelso alius excelsior est et super hos quoque eminentiores sunt alii
If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.
9 et insuper universae terrae rex imperat servienti
The produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
10 avarus non implebitur pecunia et qui amat divitias fructus non capiet ex eis et hoc ergo vanitas
He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.
11 ubi multae sunt opes multi et qui comedant eas et quid prodest possessori nisi quod cernit divitias oculis suis
When good things increase, so do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner, except to behold them with his eyes?
12 dulcis est somnus operanti sive parum sive multum comedat saturitas autem divitis non sinit dormire eum
The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep.
13 est et alia infirmitas pessima quam vidi sub sole divitiae conservatae in malum domini sui
There is a grievous evil I have seen under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
14 pereunt enim in adflictione pessima generavit filium qui in summa egestate erit
or wealth lost in a failed venture, so when that man has a son there is nothing to pass on.
15 sicut egressus est nudus de utero matris suae sic revertetur et nihil auferet secum de labore suo
As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands.
16 miserabilis prorsus infirmitas quomodo venit sic revertetur quid ergo prodest ei quod laboravit in ventum
This too is a grievous evil: Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind?
17 cunctis diebus vitae suae comedit in tenebris et in curis multis et in aerumna atque tristitia
Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness, with much sorrow, sickness, and anger.
18 hoc itaque mihi visum est bonum ut comedat quis et bibat et fruatur laetitia ex labore suo quod laboravit ipse sub sole numerum dierum vitae suae quos dedit ei Deus et haec est pars illius
Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of life that God has given him—for this is his lot.
19 et omni homini cui dedit Deus divitias atque substantiam potestatemque ei tribuit ut comedat ex eis et fruatur parte sua et laetetur de labore suo hoc est donum Dei
Furthermore, God has given riches and wealth to every man, and He has enabled him to enjoy them, to accept his lot, and to rejoice in his labor. This is a gift from God.
20 non enim satis recordabitur dierum vitae suae eo quod Deus occupet deliciis cor eius
For a man seldom considers the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.
