Chapter 5
1 Never be in a hurry to speak
or hastily make a promise to God,
for God is in heaven
and you are on earth;
therefore, let your words be few.
2 As dreams come when there are many cares,
so does the speech of a fool when there are many words.[a]
3 When you make a vow[b] to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, for God has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill the vow you have made. 4 It is preferable not to make a vow than to make it and fail to fulfill it.
5 Do not allow your mouth to lead you into sin and then plead before God’s messenger[c] that it was all a mistake. Otherwise God will become angered at your words and destroy the work of your hands. 6 A profusion of dreams leads to excessive vanity. Therefore, fear God.
Under the Pretext of General Interests. 7 If in some part of the realm you witness the oppression of the poor and the violation of rights and justice, do not be surprised; for every high official is supervised by one who is higher in rank, and the one who has the highest rank keeps watch over them all. 8 A country is best served when a king is in charge of the fertile fields.[d]
Money: An Insatiable Desire
9 One who is covetous will never be satisfied with money,
nor will the lover of wealth be content with gain.
This too is vanity.
10 When riches increase,
so do those who are eager to accumulate them,
and those who have accumulated them must remain content
simply to feast their eyes on them.
11 Sleep is sweet to the laborer,
whether he has much or little to eat,
but the vast riches of a wealthy man
do not allow him to sleep.
12 There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun:
Riches are hoarded by their owner to his disadvantage,
13 or riches are lost by some misfortune,
so that he has nothing remaining to leave to his son.
14 Just as he came forth naked from his mother’s womb,
so shall he depart, naked as he came,
with nothing remaining from his labor
that he can carry away in his hands.
15 This too is a grievous evil:
Just as he came, so must he go,
and what profit can he have after toiling for the wind?
16 All of his days are spent in darkness
with great anxiety, sickness, and resentment.
17 The Happiness Suitable for Humans. This is the conclusion I have reached: it is fitting for a man to eat and drink and find satisfaction in the results of his labors under the sun during the brief span of life that God has allotted him. 18 Moreover, the one to whom God grants wealth and possessions and the ability to enjoy them and to find contentment in his toil receives a gift from God. 19 For it is unlikely that he will brood about the passing years inasmuch as God keeps his heart filled with joy.[e]
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 5:2 Many words: probably refers to the offering of rash vows to God (see v. 6).
- Ecclesiastes 5:3 Vow: see Deut 23:21-23; 1 Sam 1:11, 24-28. Fools: persons who refuse to learn (see Prov 1:20-27).
- Ecclesiastes 5:5 Messenger: i.e., the priest. An allusion to sins committed or vows uttered inadvertently (see Lev 4:2, 22, 27; Num 15:22, 29).
- Ecclesiastes 5:8 The translation and meaning of this verse are much debated.
- Ecclesiastes 5:19 See note on Eccl 2:24-26.