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.
2 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.
3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by 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 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?
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 be 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 that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?
12 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.
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 he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.
15 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.
16 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?
17 All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he 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 labour 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 him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

1Kepe thy foote when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to heare, then to giue the sacrifice of fooles: for they consider not that they doe euill.

2Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to vtter any thing before God: for God is in heauen, and thou vpon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

3For a dreame commeth through the multitude of businesse, and a fooles voyce is knowen by multitude of words.

4When thou vowest a vow vnto God, deferre not to pay it: for he hath no pleasure in fooles; pay that which thou hast vowed.

5Better is it that thou shouldest not vowe, then that thou shouldest vowe and not pay.

6Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sinne, neither say thou before the Angel, that it was an errour: wherefore should God be angrie at thy voyce, and destroy the worke of thine hands?

7For in the multitude of dreames and many words, there are also diuers vanities: but feare thou God.

8 If thou seest the oppression of the poore, and violent peruerting of iudgement, and iustice in a prouince, maruell not at the matter: for he that is higher then the highest, regardeth, and there be higher then they.

9¶ Moreouer the profit of the earth is for all: the king himselfe is serued by the field.

10Hee that loueth siluer shall not be satisfied with siluer; nor he that loueth abundance, with increase: this is also vanitie.

11When goods increase, they are increased that eate them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, sauing the beholding of them with their eyes?

12The sleepe of a labouring man is sweete, whether he eate little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleepe.

13There is a sore euill which I haue seene vnder the Sun, namely riches kept for the owners therof to their hurt.

14But those riches perish by euill trauell; and he begetteth a sonne, and there is nothing in his hand.

15As he came forth of his mothers wombe, naked shall he returne to goe as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

16And this also is a sore euill, that in all points as he came, so shall hee goe: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the winde?

17All his dayes also hee eateth in darkenesse, and he hath much sorrowe, and wrath with his sicknesse.

18 Behold that which I haue seene: It is good and comely for one to eate and to drinke, and to enioy the good of all his labour that he taketh vnder the sunne, all the dayes of his life, which God giueth him: for it is his portion.

19Euery man also to whom God hath giuen riches and wealth, and hath giuen him power to eate thereof, and to take his portion, and to reioyce in his labour; this is the gift of God.

20For he shall not much remember the dayes of his life: because God answereth him in the ioy of his heart.

I == Ex 3:5 ; 1st Sam 15:22 ; Ps 50:8 ; Prov 15:8 ; 21:27 ; Isa 1:12 ; Hos 6:6

II == Prov 10:19 ; Matt 6:7

III == Prov 10:19

IV == Num 30:2 Deut 23:21-23 ; Ps 50:14 ; 66:13-14 ; 76:11

V == Prov 20:25 ; Acts 5:4

VI == 1st Cor 11:10

VII == Eccl 12:13

VIII == Ps 12:5 ; 58:11 ; 82:1 ; Eccl 3:16

XIII == Eccl 6:1

XV == Job 1:21 ; Ps 49:17 ; 1st tim 6:7

XVI == Prov 11:29 ; Eccl 1:3

XVII == Ps 127:2

XVIII == Eccl 2:10 , 24 ; 3:12-13 , 22 ; 9:7 ; 11:9 ; 1st Tim 6:17

XIX == Eccl 2:24 ; 3:13 ; 6:2

1 Be not hasty in your utterance and let not your heart be quick to make a promise in God's presence. God is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.

2 For nightmares come with many cares, and a fool's utterance with many words.

3 When you make a vow to God, delay not its fulfillment. For God has no pleasure in fools; fulfill what you have vowed.

4 You had better not make a vow than make it and not fulfill it.

5 Let not your utterances make you guilty, and say not before his representative, "It was a mistake," lest God be angered by such words and destroy the works of your hands.

6 Rather, fear God!

7 If you see oppression of the poor, and violation of rights and justice in the realm, do not be shocked by the fact, for the high official has another higher than he watching him and above these are others higher still - .

8 Yet an advantage for a country in every respect is a king for the arable land.

9 The covetous man is never satisfied with money, and the lover of wealth reaps no fruit from it; so this too is vanity.

10 Where there are great riches, there are also many to devour them. Of what use are they to the owner except to feast his eyes upon?

11 Sleep is sweet to the laboring man, whether he eats little or much, but the rich man's abundance allows him no sleep.

12 This is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches kept by their owner to his hurt.

13 Should the riches be lost through some misfortune, he may have a son when he is without means.

14 As he came forth from his mother's womb, so again shall he depart, naked as he came, having nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.

15 This too is a grievous evil, that he goes just as he came. What then does it profit him to toil for wind?

16 All the days of his life are passed in gloom and sorrow, under great vexation, sickness and wrath.

17 Here is what I recognize as good: it is well for a man to eat and drink and enjoy all the fruits of his labor under the sun during the limited days of the life which God gives him; for this is his lot.

18 Any man to whom God gives riches and property, and grants power to partake of them, so that he receives his lot and finds joy in the fruits of his toil, has a gift from God.

19 For he will hardly dwell on the shortness of his life, because God lets him busy himself with the joy of his heart.

v 1-7. This is not to be construed as instructions for worship. This whole section has to do with avoiding rash vows. But if you do make them it is an obligation under the law to perform them. Such vows are like meaningless dreams.

v 8,9. The fruit of one’s labor can also be lost to corrupt officials.

v 10-12 A covetous person’s gain desires more gain, and anxiety not to lose it.

v 13,14. Effort to gain wealth, only to see it lost for some reason, brings misery.

v 15-17. You can’t take your wealth with you, which affects some people mentally.

v 18-19. Those things gained are a gift from God to be enjoyed as He enables.