Ecclesiastes, Chapter 5:

Verses from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 5 of the book of Ecclesiastes of the Bible.

Attitude towards God

• 1. When you enter the sanctuary of God, be reverent. He who approaches to listen is wiser than the fools who offer sacrifices without understanding that they are doing wrong.
• 2. Do not be hasty in your speeches, nor hasty in your heart when making promises before God. For He is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore, be measured in your words.
• 3. Many worries lead to dreams, and an excess of words gives rise to vain and foolish conversations.
• 4. When you make a vow, fulfill it without delay, because displeasing God is foolish. Honor your commitment.
• 5. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.
• 6. Guard your tongue so that you do not fall into sin. Don’t tell God’s messenger, “My vote was a mistake.” Why provoke divine wrath with your words and destroy what you yourself have accomplished?
• 7. In the midst of so many unreasonable dreams and futile conversations, fear God and revere His awesomeness.

Riches are illusion

• 8. If you observe the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice in some province, do not be surprised, for all the officers are subordinate to others of higher rank, and there are even higher ones in command.
• 9. However, it is still advantageous for the nation to have a king who rules and takes care of agriculture.
• 10. He who loves money is never satisfied with what he has, and whoever desires riches will never be satisfied with his income. This is also illusory.
• 11. When goods increase, those who consume them also increase; and what benefit do riches bring to those who possess them, if not fleeting pleasure for the eyes?
• 12. A worker's sleep is peaceful, whether he eats a little or a lot, but the abundance of a rich man does not give him peace of mind to sleep.
• 13. There is a terrible evil that I have witnessed under the sun: the accumulation of wealth to the detriment of its possessor.
• 14. If your riches are lost in a bad deal, there will be nothing left for the child born to you.
• 15. A man comes naked from his mother's womb, and he will depart in the same way; You will take nothing with you from the work you worked so hard to accomplish.
• 16. There is a terrible evil: just as it came into the world, it will also leave it. And what is the point of all the effort in search of the wind?
• 17. Your life is lived in darkness, with great frustration, illness and bitterness.
• 18. Therefore, I conclude that for man there is nothing better than to eat, drink and find pleasure in his work during the few days that God grants him under the sun, for this is his reward.
• 19. When God bestows wealth and possessions on someone and enables them to enjoy them, accepting their lot and finding happiness in their work is a divine gift.
• 20. Rarely does such a person think about the brevity of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.