Ecclesiastes 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. People who do this don’t even know they are doing wrong.

2Think before you speak.

Be careful about what you promise 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.

So 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 foolish people. Give God what you promised. 5It is better not to promise anything than to promise something and not do it. 6So don’t let your words cause you to sin. Also, 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. He will destroy everything you have worked for. 7Many empty promises are like many foolish dreams. They mean nothing. You should honor God.

Officers Cheat Each Other

8In some countries you will see poor people treated badly. They are not treated fairly or given their rights. Don’t be surprised! One officer is cheated by a higher officer. They in turn are 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

10The person who loves money

will never have all the money he wants.

The person who loves wealth

will not be satisfied when he gets it.

This is also useless.

11The more wealth a person has,

the more friends he has to help him spend it.

So what does he really gain?

He gains nothing except to look at his riches.

12A man who works hard sleeps in peace.

It is not important if he has little or much to eat.

But a rich person worries about his wealth.

He cannot sleep.

13I have seen something unfair here on earth:

A person suffers harm from saving up his money.

14Then he loses it all in a bad deal.

So he has nothing

to give to his son.

15A person comes into this world with nothing.

And when he dies, he leaves with nothing.

In spite of all his hard work,

he leaves exactly as he came.

16This, too, is unfair:

He leaves exactly as he came.

So what does he gain from chasing the wind?

17All he gets are days filled with sadness and sorrow.

He ends up sick, defeated and angry.

Enjoy Your Life’s Work

18I have seen what is best for a person to do here on earth. He should eat and drink and enjoy his work. This is because the life God has given him on earth is short. 19God gives some people the ability to enjoy the wealth and property he gives them. He also gives them the ability to accept their state in life and enjoy their work. 20Such people do not worry much about how short life is. This is because God keeps them busy with the things they love to do.

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Ecclesiastes 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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