Ecclesiastes/Qohelet 5

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Be in no hurry to speak; do not hastily declare yourself before God; for God is in heaven, you on earth.Be sparing, then, of speech:	1 You should not speak anything rashly, nor should your heart be hasty to present a word before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth. For this reason, let your words be few.
2 From too much worrying comes illusion, from too much talking, the accents of fol y.	2 Dreams follow many worries, and in many words foolishness will be found.
3 If you make a vow to God, discharge it without delay, for God has no love for fools. Discharge your vow.	3 If you have vowed anything to God, you should not delay to repay it. And whatever you have vowed, render it. But an unfaithful and foolish promise displeases him.
4 Better a vow unmade than made and not discharged.	4 And it is much better not to make a vow, than, after a vow, not to fulfill what was promised.
5 Do not al ow your mouth to make a sinner of you, and do not say to the messenger that it was amistake. Why give God occasion to be angry with you and ruin al the work that you have done?	5 You should not use your mouth so as to cause your flesh to sin. And you should not say, in the sight of an Angel, “There is no Providence.” For God, being angry at your words, may scatter all the works of your hands.
6 From too many illusions come futility and too much talk. Therefore, fear God.	6 Where there are many dreams, there are many vanities and innumerable words. Yet truly, you must fear God.
7 If in a province you see the poor oppressed, fair judgement and justice violated, do not be surprised, forover every official there watches a higher official, and over these, higher officials stil .	7 If you see false accusations against the indigent, and violent judgments, and subverted justice in the government, do not be surprised over this situation. For those in high places have others who are higher, and there are still others, more eminent, over these.
8 But what the land yields is for the benefit of al , a king is served by the fields.	8 But finally, there is the King who rules over the entire earth, which is subject to him.
9 No one who loves money ever has enough, no one who loves luxury has any income; this, too, is futile.	9 A greedy man will not be satisfied by money. And whoever loves wealth will reap no fruit from it. Therefore, this, too, is emptiness.
10 Where goods abound, parasites abound: where is the owner's profit, apart from feasting his eyes?	10 Where there are many riches, there will also be many to consume these things. And how does it benefit the one who possesses, except that he discerns the wealth with his own eyes?
11 The labourer's sleep is sweet, whether he has eaten little or much, but the surfeit of the rich wil not lethim sleep at al .	11 Sleep is sweet to one who works, whether he consumes little or much. But the satiation of a wealthy man will not permit him to sleep.
12 Something grossly unjust I observe under the sun: riches stored and turning to loss for their owner.	12 There is even another most burdensome infirmity, which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept to the harm of the owner.
13 An unlucky venture, and those riches are lost; a son is born to him, and he has nothing to leave him.	13 For they are lost in a most grievous affliction. He has produced a son, who will be in the utmost destitution.
14 Naked from his mother's womb he came; as naked as he came wil he depart; not one of hisachievements can he take with him.	14 Just as he went forth naked from his mother's womb, so shall he return, and he shall take nothing with him from his labors.
15 And something else grossly unjust: that as he came, so must he go; what profit can he show aftertoiling to earn the wind,	15 It is an utterly miserable infirmity that, in the same manner as he has arrived, so shall he return. How then does it benefit him, since he has labored for the wind?
16 as he spends the rest of his days in darkness, mourning, many sorrows, sickness and exasperation.	16 All the days of his life he consumes: in darkness, and with many worries, and in distress as well as sadness.
17 So my conclusion is this: true happiness lies in eating and drinking and enjoying whatever has beenachieved under the sun, throughout the life given by God: for this is the lot of humanity.	17 And so, this has seemed good to me: that a person should eat and drink, and should enjoy the fruits of his labor, in which he has toiled under the sun, for the number of the days of his life that God has given him. For this is his portion.
18 And whenever God gives someone riches and property, with the ability to enjoy them and to findcontentment in work, this is a gift from God.	18 And this is a gift from God: that every man to whom God has given wealth and resources, and to whom he has granted the ability to consume these, may enjoy his portion, and may find joy in his labors.
19 For such a person wil hardly notice the passing of time, so long as God keeps his heart occupied withjoy.	19 And then he will not fully remember the days of his life, because God occupies his heart with delights.