Ecclesiastes 5
New King James Version

Fear God, Keep Your Vows

5 Walk^(A)prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather^(B)than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

²Do not be^(C)rash with your mouth,
And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.
For Godisin heaven, and you on earth;
Therefore let your words^(D)be few.
³For a dream comes through much activity,
And^(E)a fool’s voiceis knownbyhismany words.

⁴^(F)When you make a vow to God, do not delay to^(G)pay it;
ForHe hasno pleasure in fools.
Pay what you have vowed—
⁵^(H)Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

⁶Do not let your^(I)mouth cause your flesh to sin,^(J)nor say before the messengerof Godthat itwasan error. Why should God be angry at your^[a]excuse and destroy the work of your hands?⁷For in the multitude of dreams and many wordsthere isalso vanity. But^(K)fear God.

The Vanity of Gain and Honor

⁸If you^(L)see the oppression of the poor, and the violent^[b]perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for^(M)high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.

⁹Moreover the profit of the land is for all;eventhe king is served from the field.

¹⁰He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;
Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.
This alsoisvanity.

¹¹When goods increase,
They increase who eat them;
So what profit have the owners
Except to seethemwith their eyes?

¹²The sleep of a laboring manissweet,
Whether he eats little or much;
But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.

¹³^(N)There is a severe evilwhichI have seen under the sun:
Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.
¹⁴But those riches perish through^[c]misfortune;
When he begets a son,there isnothing in his hand.
¹⁵^(O)As 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 alsoisa severe evil—
Just exactly as he came, so shall he go.
And^(P)what profit has he^(Q)who has labored for the wind?
¹⁷All his days^(R)he also eats in darkness,
Andhe hasmuch sorrow and sickness and anger.

¹⁸Here is what I have seen:^(S)It isgood and fittingfor oneto 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;^(T)for itishis^[d]heritage.¹⁹As for^(U)every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his^[e]heritage and rejoice in his labor—thisisthe^(V)gift of God.²⁰For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keepshimbusy with the joy of his heart.