Ecclesiastes 5

1 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 Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few.

3 As a dream comes through many cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow.

5 It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.

6 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 For as many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God.

8 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 The produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

10 He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.

11 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 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 There is a grievous evil I have seen under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,

14 or wealth lost in a failed venture, so when that man has a son there is nothing to pass on.

15 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 This too is a grievous affliction: Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind?

17 Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness, with much sorrow, sickness, and anger.

18 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 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 For a man seldom considers the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.

1 ¶ Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God: for God [is] in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice [is known] by multitude of words.

4 ¶ When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for [he hath] no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

5 Better [is it] that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it [was] an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words [there are] also [divers] vanities: but fear thou God.

8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for [he that is] higher than the highest regardeth; and [there be] higher than they.

9 ¶ Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king [himself] is served by the field.

10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this [is] also vanity.

11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good [is there] to the owners thereof, saving the beholding [of them] with their eyes?

12 The sleep of a labouring man [is] sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

13 There is a sore evil [which] I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

14 But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and [there is] nothing in his hand.

15 As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

16 And this also [is] a sore evil, [that] in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

17 All his days also he eateth in darkness, and [he hath] much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

18 ¶ Behold [that] which I have seen: [it is] good and comely [for one] to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it [is] his portion.

19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this [is] the gift of God.

20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth [him] in the joy of his heart.

2 For where there is much sorrow, there come dreams: and where there are many words, there is heard a fool.

3 When thou vowest a vow unto God, thou shalt not consume to keep it: for he hath no pleasure in fools. That which thou vowest, keep it.

4 It is better that thou vow nothing, than that thou keep not that which thou vowest.

5 Curse not thy mouth, that it may deceive thy flesh: neither say thou before the angel, I am innocent. God will be angry with thy voice, and condemn all the works of thy hands.

6 Where there are many dreams, there is vanity and many words; but fear God!

7 When thou seest the poor wronged, and righteousness and justice taken away in the land, marvel not at the noble: for there is yet a high guardian above the high, and there are yet higher than these two.

8 About this is the king throughout all the land, to build the field.

9 He that loveth money shall never be satisfied with money: he that loveth riches shall not profit thereby. This also is vain.

10 For where there is much good, there are many that eat it: and what is he worthy that hath it, without seeing it with his eyes?

11 To him that worketh sleep is sweet, whether he have eaten little, or whether he have eaten much: but the rich man's abundance maketh him not sleep.

12 It is an evil plague that I have seen under the sun, to keep wealth to the hurt of him that hath it.

13 For the rich man perisheth with great sorrow: and if he have begotten a son, he hath nothing left in his hand.

14 As he came naked from his mother's womb, so he goeth again as he came, and taketh nothing of his work in his hand with him when he goeth.

15 This is an evil plague, because he is gone as he came. What profit is it to him, that he hath wrought in the wind?

16 For all his life he hath eaten in darkness, and in great sorrow, and in sickness, and in grief.

17 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and come and hear. This is better than the sacrifice of fools: for they know not what evil they do. Chap. 5, v. 1. Be not quick with thy mouth, and let not thy heart haste to speak any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

17 Now therefore I consider it good to eat and to drink, and to be of good cheer in all the work that a man doeth under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for that is his portion.

18 For unto whomsoever God giveth riches, and goods, and power, to eat thereof, and to drink thereof for his portion, and to be merry in his labour, this is the gift of God.

19 For he thinketh not much of the miserable life, because God delighteth his heart.