1    ^noteGo carefully when you visit the house of God. Better draw near in obedience than offer the sacrifice of fools, who sin without a thought. 2    ^noteDo not rush into speech, let there be no hasty utterance in God's presence. 3   God is in heaven, you are on earth; so let your words be few. The sensible man has much business on his hands; the fool talks and it is so much chatter. 4   When you make a vow to God, do not be slow to pay it, for he has no use for fools; pay whatever you vow. 5   Better not vow at all than vow and fail to pay. 6   Do not let your tongue lead you into sin, and then say before the angel of God that it was a mistake; or God will be angry at your words, and all your achievements will be brought to nothing. ^note 7   You must fear God.

8   If you witness in some province the oppression of the poor and the denial of right and justice, do not be surprised at what goes on, for every official has a higher one set over him, and the highest ^note keeps watch over them all. 9   The best thing for a country is a king whose ^note own lands are well tilled.

10   The man who loves money can never have enough, and the man who is in love with great wealth enjoys no return from it. This too is emptiness. 11   When riches multiply, so do those who live off them; and what advantage has the owner, except to look at them? 12   Sweet is the sleep of the labourer whether he eats little or much; but the rich man owns too much and cannot sleep. 13   There is a singular evil here under the sun which I have seen: 14   a man hoards wealth to his own hurt, and then that wealth is lost through an unlucky venture, and the owner's son left with nothing. 15   As he came from the womb of mother earth, so must he return, naked as he came; all his toil produces nothing which he can take away with him. 16   This too is a singular evil: exactly as he came, so shall he go, and what profit does he get when his labour is all for the wind? 17   What is more, all his days are overshadowed; gnawing anxiety ^note and great vexation are his lot, sickness ^note and resentment. 18   What I have seen is this: that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink and enjoy himself in return for his labours here under the sun, throughout the brief span of life which God has allotted him. 19   Moreover, it is a gift of God that every man to whom he has granted wealth and riches and the power to enjoy them should accept his lot and rejoice in his labour. 20   He will not dwell overmuch upon the passing years; for God fills his ^note time with joy of heart.

Previous section

Next section