Ecc 5 | NASB2020 | STEP | Guard your steps as you go to the house of God , and approach to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools ; for they do not know that they are doing evil .

Ecclesiastes 5

Your Attitude toward God

1 ^{▼▼Ch 4:17 in Heb
,} ^bGuard your steps as you go to the house of God, and approach to listen rather than to offer the ^csacrifice of fools; for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2 ^{▼▼Ch 5:1 in Heb}Do not be ^equick with your mouth or ^{▼▼Lit hurry your heart}impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your ^gwords be few. 3 For the dream comes through much ^{▼▼Lit task}effort, and the voice of a ⁱfool through many words.

4 When you ^jmake a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. ^kPay what you vow! 5 It is ^lbetter that you not vow, than vow and not pay. 6 Do not let your ^{▼▼Lit mouth}speech cause ^{▼▼Lit your body}you to sin, and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a ^omistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice, and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For in many dreams and in many words there is futility. Rather, ^{▼▼Or revere
,} ^qfear God.

8 If you see ^roppression of the poor and ^sdenial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be ^tshocked at the ^{▼▼Lit delight}sight; for one ^{▼▼Lit high one}official watches over another ^{▼▼Lit high one}official, and there are higher ^{▼▼Lit ones}officials over them. 9 After all, a king who cultivates the field is beneficial to the land.

The Foolishness of Riches

10 ^yOne who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor one who loves abundance with its income. This too is futility. 11 ^zWhen good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to ^{▼▼Lit see with their eyes}look at them? 12 The sleep of the laborer is ^absweet, whether he eats little or much; but the ^{▼▼Lit satiety}full stomach of the rich person does not allow him to sleep.

13 There is a sickening evil which I have seen under the sun: ^adwealth being ^{▼▼Lit guarded}hoarded by its owner to his detriment. 14 When that wealth was lost through bad business and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing ^{▼▼Lit in his hand}to support him. 15 ^agAs he came naked from his mother’s womb, so he will return as he came. He will ^ahtake nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. 16 This also is a sickening evil: exactly as a person ^{▼▼Lit comes}is born, so will he ^{▼▼Lit go}die. ^akWhat then is the advantage for him who ^allabors for the wind? 17 All his life ^amhe also eats in darkness with ^angreat irritation, sickness, and anger.

18 Here is what I have seen to be ^aogood and ^{▼▼Lit beautiful}fitting: to eat, to drink, and ^{▼▼Lit see good}enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he labors under the sun during the few ^{▼▼Or days}years of his life which God has given him; for this is his ^{▼▼Or share
,} ^atreward. 19 Furthermore, as for every person to whom ^auGod has given riches and wealth, He has also ^avgiven him the opportunity to ^{▼▼Lit eat from it}enjoy them and to receive his ^{▼▼Or share}reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the ^aygift of God. 20 For he will not often call to mind the ^{▼▼Or days}years of his life, because ^baGod keeps ^{▼▼As in LXX}him busy with the joy of his heart.