Ecclesiastes 5

God’s in Charge, Not You

1Watch your step when you enter God’s house.

Enter to learn. That’s far better than mindlessly offering

a sacrifice,

Doing more harm than good.

2Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think.

Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear.

God’s in charge, not you—the less you speak, the better.

3Overwork makes for restless sleep.

Overtalk shows you up as a fool.

4-5When you tell God you’ll do something, do it—now.

God takes no pleasure in foolish drivel. Vow it, then do it.

Far better not to vow in the first place than to vow and not pay up.

6Don’t let your mouth make a total sinner of you.

When called to account, you won’t get by with

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

Why risk provoking God to angry retaliation?

7But against all illusion and fantasy and empty talk

There’s always this rock foundation: Fear God!

A Salary of Smoke

8-9Don’t be too upset when you see the poor kicked around, and justice and right violated all over the place. Exploitation filters down from one petty official to another. There’s no end to it, and nothing can be done about it. But the good earth doesn’t cheat anyone—even a bad king is honestly served by a field.

10The one who loves money is never satisfied with money,

Nor the one who loves wealth with big profits. More smoke.

11The more loot you get, the more looters show up.

And what fun is that—to be robbed in broad daylight?

12Hard and honest work earns a good night’s sleep,

Whether supper is beans or steak.

But a rich man’s belly gives him insomnia.

13-17Here’s a piece of bad luck I’ve seen happen:

A man hoards far more wealth than is good for him

And then loses it all in a bad business deal.

He fathered a child but hasn’t a cent left to give him.

He arrived naked from the womb of his mother;

He’ll leave in the same condition—with nothing.

This is bad luck, for sure—naked he came, naked he went.

So what was the point of working for a salary of smoke?

All for a miserable life spent in the dark?

Make the Most of What God Gives

18-20After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood over how long we might live.

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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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