Ecclesiastes 5 · קהלת

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

For a dream comes through a multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by a multitude of words.

When thou vowest a vow to God, do not defer to pay it; for he has no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

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

Do not let thy mouth cause thy flesh to sin; nor say before the angel, that it was an error: why should God be angry at thy voice and destroy the work of thy hands?

For this comes from the multitude of dreams and vanities and many words: but fear thou God.

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, do not marvel at the matter: for there is a high one who watches over him that is high; and there are yet higher ones over them.

Moreover, land has an advantage for everyone: he who tills a field is a king.

He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loves abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

When goods increase, they who eat them are increased: and what good is there to their owner, saving the beholding of them with his eyes?

The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the repletion 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 their owner to his hurt.

But those riches perish by evil adventure: and he begets a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

As he came forth from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and he shall take nothing for 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 has he that labours for the wind?

All his days also he eats in darkness, and he has much sorrow and sickness and wrath.

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 in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life, which God gives him: for it is his portion.

Every man also to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

For he shall remember that the days of his life are not many, in which God provides him with the joy of his heart.