Ecclesiastes 5
20 verses · King James Version
1Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.2Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter thing before God: for God in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.3For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice by multitude of words.4When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.5Better that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.6Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?7For in the multitude of dreams and many words also vanities: but fear thou God.8If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for higher than the highest regardeth; and higher than they.9Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king is served by the field.10He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this also vanity.11When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good to the owners thereof, saving the beholding with their eyes?12The sleep of a labouring man sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.13There is a sore evil I have seen under the sun, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.14But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and nothing in his hand.15As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.16And this also a sore evil, in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?17All his days also he eateth in darkness, and much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.18Behold which I have seen: good and comely to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it his portion.19Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this the gift of God.20For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth in the joy of his heart.