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 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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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.