Ecclesiastes 5

Fear God, Keep Your Vows

1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.2 Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few.3 For a dream comes through much activity, And a fools voice is known by his many words.4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.

The Vanity of Gain and Honor

8 If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.9 Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field.10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.11 When goods increase, They increase who eat them; So what profit have the owners Except to see them with their eyes?12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.13 There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.14 But those riches perish through misfortune; When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.15 As he came from his mothers womb, naked shall he return, To go as he came; And he shall take nothing from his labor Which he may carry away in his hand.16 And this also is a severe evil Just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind?17 All his days he also eats in darkness, And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger.18 Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage.19 As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his laborthis is the gift of God.20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.

ECCLESIASTES 5

Be Careful How You Worship

1 Be careful what you do when you enter the house of God. Fools go there to offer sacrifices, because all they do is sin.t But it's best just to listen when you go to worship. 2 Don't talk before you think or make promises to God without thinking them through. God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so don't talk too much.

3 If you keep thinking about something, you will dream about it. If you talk too much, you will say the wrong thing.
4  t God doesn't like fools. So don't be slow to keep your promises to God. 5 It's better not to make a promise at all than to make one and not keep it.

6 Don't let your mouth get you in trouble! And don't say to the worship leader, t “I didn't mean what I said.” God can destroy everything you have worked for, so don't say something that makes God angry.

7 Respect and obey God! Daydreaming leads to a lot of senseless talk.t
8 Don't be surprised if the poor of your country are abused, and injustice takes the place of justice. After all, the lower officials must do what the higher ones order them to do.

9 And since the king is the highest official, he benefits most from the taxes paid on the land.t
10 If you love money and wealth, you will never be satisfied with what you have. This doesn't make a bit of sense. 11 The more you have, the more everyone expects from you. Your money won't do you any good—others will just spend it for you.

12 If you have to work hard for a living, you can rest well at night, even if you don't have much to eat. But if you are rich, you can't even sleep.
13 I have seen something terribly unfair. People get rich, but it does them no good. 14 Suddenly they lose everything in a bad business deal, then have nothing to leave for their children. 15 t They came into this world naked, and when they die, they will be just as naked. They can't take anything with them, and they won't have anything to show for all their work. 16 That's terribly unfair. They leave the world just as they came. They gained nothing from running after the wind.

17 Besides all this, they are always gloomy at mealtime, and they are troubled, sick, and bitter.t
18 What is the best thing to do in the short life God has given us? I think we should enjoy eating, drinking, and working hard. This is what God intends for us to do. 19 Suppose you are very rich and able to enjoy everything you own. Then go ahead and enjoy working hard—this is God's gift to you. 20 God will keep you so happy that you won't have time to worry about each day.