Ecclesiastes 5

¹ Guard your feet when you go to the house of Elohim; To go near to hear is better than that the stupid should offer sacrifice, For they know nothing but to do evil. ² Do not be rash with your mouth, And your heart must not hasten to bring forth speech before the One, Elohim; For the One, Elohim, is in the heavens, And you are on the earth; Therefore, let your words become few. ³ For as dreams come with much responsibility, So the voice of a stupid person comes with many words. ⁴ When you vow a vow to Elohim, do not delay to pay it, For there is no delight in those who are stupid; That which you vow, pay. ⁵ It is better that you should not vow Than that you should vow and not pay. ⁶ Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin, And do not protest before the temple messenger that it was an error. Why should the One, Elohim, be wrathful at your voice And bring harm to the work of your hands? ⁷ For in many dreams and vanities, there are many words; Therefore fear the One, Elohim. ⁸ If you should see extortion of the destitute And pillage of judgment and justice in a province, Do not be amazed over the event, For one lofty official above another lofty official is observing, And other lofty officials are over them. ⁹ Yet an advantage to the land in all respects is: A king devoted to the field that it be served. ¹⁰ One who loves silver is never satisfied with his silver, And one who loves large amounts never has enough income; This too is vanity. ¹¹ When goods increase those who devour them multiply; And what profit are they to their possessor save for the sight of his eyes? ¹² The sleep of the servant is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; Yet the surfeiting of the rich, it does not permit him to sleep. ¹³ There is a travailing evil I have seen under the sun: Riches are kept by their possessor to his peril; ¹⁴ Then these riches perish through some experience of evil, When he begets a son, then there is not anything left in his hand. ¹⁵ Just as he came forth from his mother's belly, Naked shall he return, to go as he came; He shall not carry away anything from his toil which can go in his hand. ¹⁶ This too is a travailing evil; Exactly as he came, so shall he go, And what advantage is it to him since he toiled for wind? ¹⁷ Moreover, all his days are in darkness and mourning, With much vexation and illness and wrath. ¹⁸ Behold, that which I have seen that is good, that is fitting is: To eat and to drink and to see good in all one's toil that he is toiling under the sun, During the number of days in his life that the One, Elohim, has given to him, For that is his portion. ¹⁹ Moreover, concerning any man to whom the One, Elohim, gives riches and substance, And gives him power to eat of it and to obtain his portion and to rejoice in his toil, This good, it is a gift of Elohim. ²⁰ For he shall not be much mindful of the days of his life, For the One, Elohim, is keeping him occupied with the rejoicing of his heart.