Ecclesiastes 5:10–20

¹⁰Anyone who loves money never has enough.

Anyone who loves wealth is never satisfied with what he gets.

That doesn’t have any meaning either.

¹¹As more and more goods are made,

more and more people use them up.

So how can those goods benefit their owner?

All he can do is look at them with longing.

¹²The sleep of a worker is sweet.

It doesn’t matter whether he eats a little or a lot.

But the wealth of a rich man

keeps him awake at night.

¹³I’ve seen something very evil on earth.

It’s when wealth is stored up

and then brings harm to its owner.

¹⁴It’s also when wealth is lost

because of an unwise business deal.

Then there won’t be anything left

for the owner’s son.

¹⁵A man is born naked.

He comes into the world with nothing.

And he goes out of it with nothing.

He doesn’t get anything from his work

that he can take with him.

¹⁶Here’s something else that is very evil.

A man is born, and a man dies.

And what does he get for his work?

Nothing. It’s like working for the wind.

¹⁷All his life he eats in darkness.

His life is full of trouble, suffering and anger.

¹⁸I realized that it’s good and proper for a man to eat and drink. It’s good for him to be satisfied with his hard work on this earth. That’s what he should do during the few days of life God has given him. That’s what God made him for.

¹⁹Sometimes God gives a man wealth and possessions. He makes it possible for him to enjoy them. He helps him accept the life he has given him. He helps him to be happy in his work. All of those things are gifts from God. ²⁰A man like that doesn’t have to think about how his life is going. That’s because God fills his heart with joy.