Parallel Bible results for "ecclesiastes 5"

Ecclesiastes 5

Third Millennium Bible TMB

1 Guard thy feet when thou goest into the house of God; and be more ready to hear than to make the sacrifice of fools, for they consider not that they do evil.

2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God. For God is in heaven and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

3 For a dream cometh through a multitude of business, and a fool's voice is known by a multitude of words.

4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it, for He hath no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou hast vowed.

5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

6 Let not thy mouth cause thy flesh to sin, neither say thou before God's angel that the vow was an error. Why should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities. But fear thou God.

8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter; for he that is higher than the highest regardeth, and there are higher than they.

9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all; the king himself is served by the field.

10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundance with increase. This is also vanity.

11 When goods increase, they are increased who eat them; and what good is there to the owners thereof, except the beholding of them with their eyes?

12 The sleep of the laboring man is sweet whether he eat little or much, but the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.

13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely: riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

14 But those riches perish by evil travail; and when he begetteth a son, there is nothing in his hand.

15 As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor which he may carry away in his hand.

16 And this also is a sore evil: that in all ways as he came, so shall he go. And what profit hath he that hath labored for the wind?

17 All his days also he eateth in darkness, and hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

18 Behold that which I have seen: It is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him; for it is his portion.

19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given power to eat thereof and to take his portion and to rejoice in his labor, this is the gift of God.

20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life, because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.

GOD'S WORD Translation GW

1 Watch your step when you go to the house of God. It is better to go there and listen than to bring the sacrifices fools bring. Fools are unaware that they are doing [something] evil.

2 Don't be in a hurry to talk. Don't be eager to speak in the presence of God. Since God is in heaven and you are on earth, limit the number of your words.

3 Daydreaming comes when there are too many worries. Careless speaking comes when there are too many words.

4 When you make a promise to God, don't be slow to keep it because God doesn't like fools. Keep your promise.

5 It is better not to make a promise than to make one and not keep it.

6 Don't let your mouth talk you into committing a sin. Don't say in the presence of a [temple] messenger, "My promise was a mistake!" Why should God become angry at your excuse and destroy what you've accomplished?

7 In spite of many daydreams, pointless actions, and empty words, you should still fear God.

8 Don't be surprised if you see poor people being oppressed, denied justice, or denied their rights in any district. One authority is watching over another, and they both have authorities watching over them.

9 Yet, a king is an advantage for a country with cultivated fields.

10 Whoever loves money will never be satisfied with money. Whoever loves wealth will never be satisfied with more income. Even this is pointless.

11 As the number of goods increase, so do the number of people who consume them. What do owners gain [from all their goods] except [the opportunity] to look at them?

12 The sleep of working people is sweet, whether they eat a little or a lot. But the full stomachs that rich people have will not allow them to sleep.

13 There is a painful tragedy that I have seen under the sun: Riches lead to the downfall of those who hoard them.

14 These hoarded riches were then lost in bad business deals. The owners had children, but now they have nothing to give them.

15 They came from their mother's womb naked. They will leave as naked as they came. They won't even be able to take a handful of their earnings with them from all their hard work.

16 This also is a painful tragedy: They leave exactly as they came. What advantage do they gain from working so hard for the wind?

17 They spend their entire lives in darkness, in constant frustration, sickness, and resentment.

18 At last I have seen what is good and beautiful: It is to eat and drink and to enjoy the good in all our hard work under the sun during the brief lives God gives us. That is our lot [in life].

19 It is a gift from God when God gives some people wealth and possessions, the power to enjoy them, [the ability] to accept their lot in life, and [the ability] to rejoice in their own hard work.

20 These people won't give much thought to their brief lives because God keeps them occupied with the joy in their hearts.