Ecclesiastes 5
5
Fear God, Keep Your Vows
1Walk #Ex. 3:5; Is. 1:12prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather #(1 Sam. 15:22); Ps. 50:8; Prov. 15:8; 21:27; (Hos. 6:6)than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.
2Do not be #Prov. 20:25rash 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 #Prov. 10:19; Matt. 6:7be few.
3For a dream comes through much activity,
And #Prov. 10:19a fool’s voice is known by his many words.
4#Num. 30:2; Deut. 23:21–23; Ps. 50:14; 76:11When you make a vow to God, do not delay to #Ps. 66:13, 14pay it;
For He has no pleasure in fools.
Pay what you have vowed—
5#Prov. 20:25; Acts 5:4Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
6Do not let your #Prov. 6:2mouth cause your flesh to sin, #1 Cor. 11:10nor 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? 7For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But #(Eccl. 12:13)fear God.
The Vanity of Gain and Honor
8If you #Eccl. 3:16see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for #(Ps. 12:5; 58:11; 82:1)high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.
9Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field.
10He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;
Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.
This also is vanity.
11When goods increase,
They increase who eat them;
So what profit have the owners
Except to see them with their eyes?
12The 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#Eccl. 6:1, 2There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun:
Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.
14But those riches perish through misfortune;
When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.
15#Job 1:21; Ps. 49:17; 1 Tim. 6:7As he came from his mother’s 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.
16And this also is a severe evil—
Just exactly as he came, so shall he go.
And #Eccl. 1:3what profit has he #Prov. 11:29who has labored for the wind?
17All his days #Ps. 127:2he also eats in darkness,
And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger.
18Here is what I have seen: #Eccl. 2:24; 3:12, 13; (1 Tim. 6:17)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; #Eccl. 2:10; 3:22for it is his heritage. 19As for #(Eccl. 6:2)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 labor—this is the #Eccl. 2:24; 3:13gift of God. 20For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.
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Ecclesiastes 5: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
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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