Ecclesiastes 5–6

5 aKeep thy foot when thou goest to aathe house of God, and be more ready to hear, bthan to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. 2 cBe 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 dfew. 3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of ebusiness; and a fool’s voice is known fby multitude of words. 4 gWhen thou vowest a vow unto God, hdefer not to pay it; for he hath no ipleasure 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 jSuffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before kthe angel, that it was lan 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 mfear thou God.

8 nIf thou seest othe oppression of the poor, and oviolent perverting of judgment and justice in a pprovince, marvel not †at the matter: for qhe that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.

9 Moreover rthe 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 sabundance with increase: this is also vanity. 11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what tgood is there to uthe 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 xThere is ya sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for uthe owners thereof to their hurt. 14 But those riches perish by evil ztravail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. 15 aAs 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 ya sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and bwhat profit hath he that hath claboured for the wind? 17 All his days also dhe eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

18 Behold that which I have seen: e†it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to fenjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun †all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for git is his portion. 19 Every man also hto whom God hath given riches and iwealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; kthis 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.

6 aThere is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 2 A man bto whom cGod hath given criches, dwealth, and chonour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God bgiveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease. 3 If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that ethe days of his years be many, and eehis soul be not filled with good, and also fthat he have no burial; I say, that gan untimely birth is better than he. 4 For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and hhis name shall be covered with darkness. 5 Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more irest than the other. 6 Yea, kthough he live a thousand years twice told, yet eehath he lseen no good: do not all go to one place?

7 mAll the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the †nappetite is not filled. 8 For what hath the wise omore than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living? 9 Better is pthe sight of the eyes †than the wandering of the desire: this is also qvanity and vexation of spirit. 10 That which hath been his named ralready, and it is known that it is man: sneither may he contend with him that is tmightier than he. 11 Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man othe better? 12 For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, †all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as ua shadow? for xwho can tell a man ywhat shall be after him under the sun?