Ecclesiastes 5

¹Look 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.

²Be 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.

³For a dream cometh with much bustle, and a fool’s voice with a multitude of words.

⁴When thou vowest a vow to God, delay not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools. Pay that which thou hast vowed.

⁵Better is it that thou shouldst not vow than that thou shouldst vow and not pay.

⁶Suffer 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?

⁷For in a multitude of dreams is a multitude of vanities; so also in a multitude of words; but fear thou God!

⁸If 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.

⁹An advantage to a land in all respects is a king over cultivated ground.

¹⁰He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; and he that loveth riches shall have no profit from them. This also is vanity.

¹¹When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage hath the owner thereof, save the beholding of them with his eyes?

¹²Sweet 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.

¹³There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, —riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt.

¹⁴For those riches perish by some calamity, and, if he have a son, there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵As 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.

¹⁶This 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?

¹⁷Also all his days he ate in darkness, and had much grief and anxiety and vexation.

¹⁸Behold, 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.

¹⁹To 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.

²⁰For he will not much remember the days of his life; for God answereth him with the joy of his heart.

Ecclesiastes 5

¹Keep 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.

²Be 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.

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

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

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

⁶Suffer 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?

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

⁸If 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.

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

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

¹¹When 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?

¹²The 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.

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

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

¹⁵As 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.

¹⁶And 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?

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

¹⁸Behold 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.

¹⁹Every 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.

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