Ecclesiastes 5
1KEEP thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and let thy sacrifice be a readiness to hear rather than the oblation of fools. Because they are not sensible that they do amiss,
2be thou not rash with thy mouth; nor let thy heart be hasty to utter a word in the presence of God. Because God is in the heaven above, and thou art on the earth, let thy words therefore be few.
3Because a dream cometh by much temptation, and a fool’s voice with many words;
4when thou vowest a vow to God delay not the performance of it. For in fools there is no fixed will. Pay thou therefore what thou vowest.
5It is better not to vow, than to vow and not perform.
6Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin, nor say in the presence of God, It was an inadvertence, that God may not be provoked to wrath by thy voice, and destroy the works of thy hands,
7because it was with a multitude of dreams and vanities, and many words that thou fearest God.
8If thou seest a frivolous accusation of a poor man, and a rigorous exaction of judgment and justice in a country, marvel not at the matter. Because there is a high one over a high one to watch, and high ones are for these things,
9and the profit of land is for everyone,—a king is appendant to the cultivated field.
10A lover of silver cannot be satisfied with silver; but did anyone ever love what the abundance of this produceth? Surely this is vanity.
11By an abundance of wealth they who consume it are multiplied. And what is the mighty advantage of the owner from it? That he hath the first sight of it with his eyes?
12The sleep of the slave is sweet whether he eateth little or much. But the fullness of the rich suffereth him not to sleep.
13There is a weakness which I have seen under the sun—riches kept by one for his descendant to his own hurt.
14Yet these riches acquired with grievous vexation shall perish, and he hath begotten a son, and there is nothing in his hand.
15As he came naked out of his mother’s womb, he shall turn about and go as he came. He shall take nothing by his labour to go with him in his hand.
16Surely this is a grievous weakness; for as he came, so he must depart. What then is his lasting advantage, for which he laboureth in vain;
17and for which all his days are in darkness and mourning, and much grief and weakness and repining?
18Behold I have seen a good which is comely, namely to eat and drink, and to have a good enjoyment in all the labour with which one toileth under the sun, the number of the days of his life which God hath given him; for this is his portion.
19And every man indeed to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and granted him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, hath by means of his being made glad in his labour, this further gift of God,
20that he will not much remember the days of his life, because God occupieth him with the joy of his heart.