Eclesiastes 5

Va'r din fod, når du går til Guds Hus! At komme for at høre er bedre, end at Dårer bringer Slagtoffer, thi de har ikke Forstand til andet end at gøre ondt.

Lad ikke din Mund løbe eller dit Hjerte haste med at udtale et Ord for Guds Åsyn; thi Gud er i Himmelen og du på Jorden, derfor skal dine Ord være få.

Thi meget Slid giver Drømme, og mange Ord giver Dåretale.

Når du giver Gud et Løfte, så tøv ikke med at holde det! Thi der er ingen Glæde ved Dårer. Hvad du lover, skal du holde.

Det er bedre, at du ikke lover, end at du lover uden at holde.

Lad ikke din Mund bringe Skyld over dit Legeme og sig ikke til Guds Sendebud, at det var af Vanvare! Hvorfor skal Gud vredes over din Tale og nedbryde dine Hænders Værk?

Thi af mange Drømme og Ord kommer mange Skuffelser; nej, frygt Gud!

Når du ser den fattige undertrykt og Lov og Ret krænket på din Egn, så undre dig ikke over den Ting; thi på den høje vogter en højere, og andre endnu højere vogter på dem begge.

Dog, en Fordel for et Land er det i alt Fald, at der er en Konge over dyrket Jord.

Den, der elsker Sølv, mættes aldrig af Sølv, og den, der elsker Rigdom, mættes aldrig af Vinding. Også det er Tomhed.

Jo mere Gods, des flere til at fortære det, og hvad Gavn har Ejeren da deraf, ud over at hans Øjne ser det?

Sød er Arbejderens Søvn, hvad enten han har lidt eller meget at spise; men den riges Overflod giver ikke ham Lov til at sove.

Der er et slemt Onde, som jeg så under Solen: Rigdom gemt hen af sin Ejermand til hans Ulykke;

går Rigdommen tabt ved et Uheld, og han har avlet en Søn, så bliver der intet til ham.

Som han udgik af sin Moders Liv, skal han atter gå bort, lige så nøgen som han kom, og ved sin Flid vinder han intet, han kan tage med sig.

Også det er et slemt Onde: ganske som han kom, går han bort, og hvad Vinding har han så af, at han gør sig Flid hen i Vejret?

Og dertil kommer et helt Liv i Mørke, Sorg og stor Kvide, Sygdom og Kummer.

Se, hvad der efter mit Skøn er godt og smukt, det er at spise og drikke og nyde det gode under al den Flid, man gør sig under Solen, alle de Levedage Gud giver en; thi det er den Del, man har;

og hver Gang Gud giver et Menneske Rigdom og Gods og sætter ham i Stand til at nyde det, og tage sin Del og glæde sig under sin Flid, da er det en Guds Gave;

thi da tænker han ikke stort på sine Levedage, idet Gud lader ham være optaget af sit Hjertes Glæde.

Keep 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.

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter {any} thing before God: for God {is} in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. {thing: or, word}

For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice {is known} by multitude of words.

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.

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

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it {was} an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

For in the multitude of dreams and many words {there are} also {divers} vanities: but fear thou God.

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 be} higher than they. {at the... Heb. at the will, or, purpose}

Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king {himself} is served by the field.

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this {is} also vanity.

When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good {is there} to the owners thereof, saving the beholding {of them} with their eyes?

The sleep of a labouring man {is} sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

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

But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and {there is} nothing in his hand.

As 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.

And this also {is} a sore evil, {that} in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

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

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 labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it {is} his portion. {It is good...: Heb. there is a good which is comely, etc} {all the days: Heb. the number of the days}

Every 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 {is} the gift of God.

For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth {him} in the joy of his heart. {For...: or, Though he give not much, yet he remembereth, etc}