Ecclesiastes 5
5
Revere God
1#Ex 3:5; Pr 15:8Guard your steps when you enter the house of God, and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.#4:17 in the Heb. text.
2#Pr 10:19; Mt 6:7 Do not be quick to speak with your mouth,
nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word
before God.
For God is in heaven,
and you are on the earth;
therefore may your words be few.
3#Pr 10:19; 15:2 For a dream comes when there is a great burden,
and a foolish voice when there are many words.
4#Nu 30:2; Ps 66:13–14When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it because He has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill what you have vowed. 5#Pr 20:25; Ac 5:4Better it is that you do not make a vow than you make a vow and not fulfill it. 6#1Co 11:10Do not let your mouth cause you to sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was an error. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands? 7#Ecc 12:13; 7:18For when there is an abundance of dreams and futilities, then words increase too. Therefore it is God you should fear.
The Vanity of Loving Money
8#Ps 12:5; Ecc 4:1; Ps 82:1If you see in a district the oppression of the poor and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness, do not be astounded at the matter; for the high official is watched over by an even higher official, and there are even higher officials over them. 9But this is an advantage to the land in every way, like a king committed to a cultivated field.
10#Ecc 4:8; 2:11 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money;
nor he who loves abundance with increase.
This also is vanity.
11When there is an increase of good things,
then there is an increase of those who devour them.
And what profit have the owners
except to see them with their eyes?
12#Pr 3:24 Sweet is the sleep of a laboring man,
whether he eats a little or much;
but the abundance of the rich
will not let him sleep.
13#Ecc 6:1–2There is a grave misery that I have seen under the sun:
when riches were kept by an owner to his hurt,
14and those riches were lost in a misfortunate business deal;
and although he has a son,
there is nothing at all to put in his hand.
15#Job 1:21; Ps 49:17 As he came from his mother’s womb,
naked shall he return, to go as he came;
he shall take nothing from his labor
which he may carry away in his hands.
16#Pr 11:29; Ecc 1:3This also is a grievous evil:
Just as he came,
so shall he go.
And what profit is there to him who toils for the wind?
17#Ps 127:2 Moreover, in all his days he eats in darkness,
while he is greatly irritated in sickness and anger.
18#Ecc 2:10; 2:24This is what I have seen to be good: It is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life, which God has given to him; for this is his reward. 19#Ecc 6:2; 3:13And also everyone to whom God has given wealth and possessions, and given him power to enjoy them, and to receive his reward and to rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. 20For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.
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Military Bible Association
Ecclesiastes 5
5
Be Careful About Making Promises
1Be very careful when you go to worship God. It is better to listen to God than to give sacrifices like fools. Fools often do bad things, and they don’t even know it. 2Be careful when you make promises to God. Be careful about what you say to him. Don’t let your feelings cause you to speak too soon. God is in heaven, and you are on the earth. So you need to say only a few things to him. This saying is true:
3Bad dreams come from too many worries,
and too many words come from the mouth of a fool.
4If you make a promise to God, keep your promise. Don’t be slow to do what you promised. God is not happy with fools. Give God what you promised to give him. 5It is better to promise nothing than to promise something and not be able to do it. 6So don’t let your words cause you to sin. Don’t say to the priest,#5:6 priest Or “angel” or “messenger.” This might be an angel, a priest, or a prophet. “I didn’t mean what I said.” If you do this, God might become angry with your words and destroy everything you have worked for. 7You should not let your useless dreams and bragging bring you trouble. You should respect God.
For Every Ruler There Is a Ruler
8In some country you will see poor people who are forced to work very hard. You will see that this is not fair to them. It is against their rights. But don’t be surprised! The ruler who forces them to work has another ruler who forces him. And there is still another ruler who forces both of these rulers. 9Even the king is a slave—his country owns him.#5:8-9 The ruler … owns him Or “One ruler is cheated by a higher ruler. And they are cheated by an even higher ruler. 9 Even the king gets his share of the profit. The wealth of the country is divided among them.”
Wealth Cannot Buy Happiness
10Those who love money will never be satisfied with the money they have. Those who love wealth will not be satisfied when they get more and more. This is also senseless.
11The more wealth people have, the more “friends” they have to help spend it. So the rich really gain nothing. They can only look at their wealth.
12Those who work hard all day come home and sleep in peace. It is not important if they have little or much to eat. But the rich worry about their wealth and are not able to sleep.
13There is a very sad thing that I have seen happen in this life.#5:13 in this life Literally, “under the sun.” Also in 6:1. People save their money for the future.#5:13 for the future Or “to their harm.” 14Then something bad happens and they lose everything. So they have nothing to give to their children.
15People come into the world with nothing. And when they die, they leave with nothing. They might work hard to get things, but they cannot take anything with them when they die. 16It is very sad that people leave the world just as they came. So what does a person gain from “trying to catch the wind”? 17They only get days that are filled with sadness and sorrow. In the end, they are troubled, sick, and angry.
Enjoy Your Life’s Work
18I have seen what is best for people to do on earth: They should eat, drink, and enjoy the work they have during their short time here. God has given them these few days, and that is all they have.
19If God gives some people wealth, property, and the power to enjoy those things, they should enjoy them. They should accept the things they have and enjoy their work—that is a gift from God. 20People don’t have many years to live, so they must remember these things all their life. God will keep them busy with the work they love to do.#5:20 God … to do Or “God will do whatever he wants to them.”
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