Ecclesiastes 5
5
Be Careful About Making Promises
1Be careful when you go to worship at the Temple. It is better to listen than to offer foolish sacrifices without even knowing you are doing wrong.
2Think before you speak,
and be careful about what you say to God.
God is in heaven,
and you are on the earth,
so say only a few words to God.
3The saying is true: Bad dreams come from too much worrying,
and too many words come from foolish people.
4If you make a promise to God, don’t be slow to keep it. God is not happy with fools, so give God what you promised. 5It is better not to promise anything than to promise something and not do it. 6Don’t let your words cause you to sin, and don’t say to the priest at the Temple, “I didn’t mean what I promised.” If you do, God will become angry with your words and will destroy everything you have worked for. 7Many useless promises are like so many dreams; they mean nothing. You should respect God.
Officers Cheat Each Other
8In some places you will see poor people mistreated. Don’t be surprised when they are not treated fairly or given their rights. One officer is cheated by a higher officer who in turn is cheated by even higher officers. 9The wealth of the country is divided up among them all. Even the king makes sure he gets his share of the profits.
Wealth Cannot Buy Happiness
10Whoever loves money
will never have enough money;
Whoever loves wealth
will not be satisfied with it.
This is also useless.
11The more wealth people have,
the more friends they have to help spend it.
So what do people really gain?
They gain nothing except to look at their riches.
12Those who work hard sleep in peace;
it is not important if they eat little or much.
But rich people worry about their wealth
and cannot sleep.
13I have seen real misery here on earth:
Money saved is a curse to its owners.
14They lose it all in a bad deal
and have nothing to give to their children.
15People come into this world with nothing,
and when they die they leave with nothing.
In spite of all their hard work,
they leave just as they came.
16This, too, is real misery:
They leave just as they came.
So what do they gain from chasing the wind?
17All they get are days full of sadness and sorrow,
and they end up sick, defeated, and angry.
Enjoy Your Life’s Work
18I have seen what is best for people here on earth. They should eat and drink and enjoy their work, because the life God has given them on earth is short. 19God gives some people the ability to enjoy the wealth and property he gives them, as well as the ability to accept their state in life and enjoy their work. 20They do not worry about how short life is, because God keeps them busy with what they love to do.
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Ecclesiastes 5: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Ecclesiastes 5
5
Listen and speak carefully
1Watch#5.1 4:17 in Heb your steps when you go to God’s house. It’s more acceptable to listen than to offer the fools’ sacrifice—they have no idea that they’re acting wrongly. 2Don’t#5.2 5:1 in Heb be quick with your mouth or say anything hastily before God, because God is in heaven, but you are on earth. Therefore, let your words be few.
3Remember:
Dreams come with many cares,
and the voice of fools with many words.
4When you make a promise to God, fulfill it without delay because God has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill what you promise. 5Better not to make a promise than to make a promise without fulfilling it. 6Don’t let your mouth make a sinner of you, and don’t say to the messenger: “It was a mistake!” Otherwise, God may become angry at such talk and destroy what you have accomplished.
7Remember:
When dreams multiply,
so do pointless thoughts and excessive speech.
Therefore, fear God.
Hoarding wealth
8If you witness the poor being oppressed or the violation of what is just and right in some territory, don’t be surprised because a high official watches over another, and yet others stand over them. 9But the land’s yield should be for everyone if the field is cultivated.#5.9 Correction; Heb uncertain; or The land's advantage in everything is this: a king for a plowed field. 10The money lover isn’t satisfied with money; neither is the lover of wealth satisfied with income. This too is pointless. 11When good things flow, so do those who consume them. But what do owners benefit from such goods, except to feast their eyes on them? 12Sweet is the worker’s sleep, whether there’s a lot or little to eat; but the excess of the wealthy won’t let them sleep.
13I have seen a sickening tragedy under the sun: people hoard their wealth to their own detriment. 14Then that wealth is lost in a bad business venture so that when they have children, they are left with nothing. 15Just as they came from their mother’s womb naked, naked they’ll return, ending up just like they started. All their hard work produces nothing—nothing they can take with them. 16This too is a sickening tragedy: they must pass on just as they arrived. What then do they gain from working so hard for wind? 17What’s more, they constantly eat in darkness, with much aggravation, grief, and anger.
18This is the one good thing I’ve seen: it’s appropriate for people to eat, drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work under the sun during the brief lifetime that God gives them because that’s their lot in life. 19Also, whenever God gives people wealth and riches and enables them to enjoy it, to accept their place in the world#5.19 Or portion in life, as in 5:18 and to find pleasure in their hard work—all this is God’s gift. 20Indeed, people shouldn’t brood too much over the days of their lives because God gives an answer in their hearts’ joy.
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