Ecclesiastes 5

1 Guard your steps when you go to God’s house; for to draw near to listen is better than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

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 Do not be rash with your mouth, and do not let your heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and you on earth. Therefore let your 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 For as a dream comes with a multitude of cares, so a fool’s speech with a multitude of words.

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

4 When you vow a vow to God, do not defer to pay it; for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay that which you vow.

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 It is better that you should not vow, than that you should vow and not pay.

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

6 Do not allow your mouth to lead you into sin. Do not protest before the messenger that this was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice, and destroy the work of your 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 For in the multitude of dreams there are vanities, as well as in many words; but you must fear God.

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

8 If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in a district, do not marvel at the matter, for one official is eyed by a higher one, and there are officials over them.

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 the profit of the earth is for all. The king profits from the field.

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

10 He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance, with increase. 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 When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them 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 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow 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 a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.

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

14 Those riches perish by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.

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 out of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.

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 This also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit does he have who labors 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 his days he also eats in darkness, he is frustrated, and has sickness and wrath.

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

18 Behold, that which I have seen to be good and proper is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor, in which he labors under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; for 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 Every man also to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor—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 often reflect on the days of his life, because God occupies him with the joy of his heart.

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