Ecclesiastes 5:1-20
Ecclesiastes 5:1-20 (Good News Translation)
1Be careful about going to the Temple. It is better to go there to learn
than to offer sacrifices like foolish people who don't know right from
wrong. 2Think before you speak, and don't make any rash promises to God.
He is in heaven and you are on earth, so don't say any more than you have
to. 3The more you worry, the more likely you are to have bad dreams, and
the more you talk, the more likely you are to say something foolish. 4So
when you make a promise to God, keep it as quickly as possible. He has no
use for a fool. Do what you promise to do. 5Better not to promise at all
than to make a promise and not keep it. 6Don't let your own words lead you
into sin, so that you have to tell God's priest that you didn't mean it.
Why make God angry with you? Why let him destroy what you have worked for?
7No matter how much you dream, how much useless work you do, or how much
you talk, you must still stand in awe of God. 8Don't be surprised when you
see that the government oppresses the poor and denies them justice and
their rights. Every official is protected by someone higher, and both are
protected by still higher officials. 9Even a king depends on the harvest.
10If you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich,
you will never get all you want. It is useless. 11The richer you are, the
more mouths you have to feed. All you gain is the knowledge that you are
rich. 12Workers may or may not have enough to eat, but at least they can
get a good night's sleep. The rich, however, have so much that they stay
awake worrying. 13Here is a terrible thing that I have seen in this world:
people save up their money for a time when they may need it, 14and then
lose it all in some bad deal and end up with nothing left to pass on to
their children. 15We leave this world just as we entered it—with
nothing. In spite of all our work there is nothing we can take with us.
16It isn't right! We go just as we came. We labor, trying to catch the
wind, and what do we get? 17We get to live our lives in darkness and
grief, worried, angry, and sick. 18Here is what I have found out: the best
thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for during
the short life that God has given us; this is our fate. 19If God gives us
wealth and property and lets us enjoy them, we should be grateful and
enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God. 20Since God has
allowed us to be happy, we will not worry too much about how short life
is.
than to offer sacrifices like foolish people who don't know right from
wrong. 2Think before you speak, and don't make any rash promises to God.
He is in heaven and you are on earth, so don't say any more than you have
to. 3The more you worry, the more likely you are to have bad dreams, and
the more you talk, the more likely you are to say something foolish. 4So
when you make a promise to God, keep it as quickly as possible. He has no
use for a fool. Do what you promise to do. 5Better not to promise at all
than to make a promise and not keep it. 6Don't let your own words lead you
into sin, so that you have to tell God's priest that you didn't mean it.
Why make God angry with you? Why let him destroy what you have worked for?
7No matter how much you dream, how much useless work you do, or how much
you talk, you must still stand in awe of God. 8Don't be surprised when you
see that the government oppresses the poor and denies them justice and
their rights. Every official is protected by someone higher, and both are
protected by still higher officials. 9Even a king depends on the harvest.
10If you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich,
you will never get all you want. It is useless. 11The richer you are, the
more mouths you have to feed. All you gain is the knowledge that you are
rich. 12Workers may or may not have enough to eat, but at least they can
get a good night's sleep. The rich, however, have so much that they stay
awake worrying. 13Here is a terrible thing that I have seen in this world:
people save up their money for a time when they may need it, 14and then
lose it all in some bad deal and end up with nothing left to pass on to
their children. 15We leave this world just as we entered it—with
nothing. In spite of all our work there is nothing we can take with us.
16It isn't right! We go just as we came. We labor, trying to catch the
wind, and what do we get? 17We get to live our lives in darkness and
grief, worried, angry, and sick. 18Here is what I have found out: the best
thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for during
the short life that God has given us; this is our fate. 19If God gives us
wealth and property and lets us enjoy them, we should be grateful and
enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God. 20Since God has
allowed us to be happy, we will not worry too much about how short life
is.
God bless you.
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