1 K eep your foot when you go to the house of God. For to draw near to hear and obey is better than to give the sacrifice of fools too ignorant to know that they are doing evil.

Keep thy feet when thou goest unto a house of God, and draw near to hear rather than to give of fools the sacrifice, for they do not know they do evil.

2 B e not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.

Cause not thy mouth to hasten, and let not thy heart hasten to bring out a word before God, for God is in the heavens, and thou on the earth, therefore let thy words be few.

3 F or a dream comes with much business and painful effort, and a fool’s voice with many words.

For the dream hath come by abundance of business, and the voice of a fool by abundance of words.

4 W hen you vow a vow or make a pledge to God, do not put off paying it; for God has no pleasure in fools (those who witlessly mock Him). Pay what you vow.

When thou vowest a vow to God, delay not to complete it, for there is no pleasure in fools; that which thou vowest -- complete.

5 I t is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

Better that thou do not vow, than that thou dost vow and dost not complete.

6 D o not allow your mouth to cause your body to sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was an error or mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger, that `it an error,' why is God wroth because of thy voice, and hath destroyed the work of thy hands?

7 F or in a multitude of dreams there is futility and worthlessness, and ruin in a flood of words. But fear God.

For, in the abundance of dreams both vanities and words abound; but fear thou God.

8 I f you see the oppression of the poor and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in the state or province, do not marvel at the matter. for a higher than the high is observing, and higher ones are over them.

If oppression of the poor, and violent taking away of judgment and righteousness thou seest in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for a higher than the high is observing, and high ones over them.

9 M oreover, the profit of the earth is for all; the king himself is served by the field and in all, a king is an advantage to a land with cultivated fields.

And the abundance of a land is for all. A king for a field is served.

10 H e who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance with gain. This also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!

Whoso is loving silver is not satisfied silver, nor he who is in love with stores increase. Even this vanity.

11 W hen goods increase, they who eat them increase also. And what gain is there to their owner except to see them with his eyes?

In the multiplying of good have its consumers been multiplied, and what benefit to its possessor except the sight of his eyes?

12 T he sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the fullness of the rich will not let him sleep.

Sweet the sleep of the labourer whether he eat little or much; and the sufficiency of the wealthy is not suffering him to sleep.

13 T here is a serious and severe evil which I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt.

There is a painful evil I have seen under the sun: wealth kept for its possessor, for his evil.

14 B ut those riches are lost in a bad venture; and he becomes the father of a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

And that wealth hath been lost in an evil business, and he hath begotten a son and there is nothing in his hand!

15 A s came forth from his mother’s womb, so he will go again, naked as he came; and he will take away nothing for all his labor which he can carry in his hand.

As he came out from the belly of his mother, naked he turneth back to go as he came, and he taketh not away anything of his labour, that doth go in his hand.

16 A nd this also is a serious and severe evil—that in all points as he came, so shall he go; and what gain has he who labors for the wind?

And this also a painful evil, just as he came, so he goeth, and what advantage to him who laboureth for wind?

17 A ll his days also he eats in darkness, and much sorrow and sickness and wrath are his.

Also all his days in darkness he consumeth, and sadness, and wrath, and sickness abound.

18 B ehold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is for one to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in all the labor in which he labors under the sun all the days which God gives him—for this is his part.

Lo, that which I have seen: good, because beautiful, to eat, and to drink, and to see good in all one's labour that he laboureth at under the sun, the number of the days of his life that God hath given to him, for it his portion.

19 A lso, every man to whom God has given riches and possessions, and the power to enjoy them and to accept his appointed lot and to rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.

Every man also to whom God hath given wealth and riches, and hath given him power to eat of it, and to accept his portion, and to rejoice in his labour, this is a gift of God.

20 F or he shall not much remember the days of his life, because God answers and corresponds to the joy of his heart.

For he doth not much remember the days of his life, for God is answering through the joy of his heart.