Ecclesiastes 5:8–15

The Realities of Wealth

⁸If you see oppression of the poor ^cand perversion of justice and righteousness in the province, don’t be astonished at the situation, ^dbecause one official protects another official, and higher officials protect them. ⁹The profit from the land is taken by all; the king is served by the field. ^ef

¹⁰The one who loves money is never satisfied with money, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. This too is futile. ¹¹When good things increase, the ones who consume them multiply; what, then, is the profit to the owner, except to gaze at them with his eyes? ¹²The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits him no sleep.

¹³There is a sickening tragedy I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm. ^g14That wealth was lost in a bad venture, so when he fathered a son, he was empty-handed. ¹⁵As he came from his mother’s womb, so he will go again, naked as he came; ^hhe will take nothing for his efforts that he can carry in his hands.