1 W atch your steps as you go to the house of God. Go near and listen but do not give the gift of fools. For they do not know they are sinning.

¶ Watch thy feet when thou goest to the house of God and draw near with more willingness to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know how to do what God wants.

2 D o not hurry to speak or be in a hurry as you think what to tell God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth. So let your words be few.

Do not be rash with thy mouth and do not let thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God, for God is in heaven and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few.

3 F or a dream comes with much work, and the voice of a fool comes with many words.

For out of much preoccupation comes the dream, and the voice of the fool out of a multitude of words.

4 W hen you make a promise to God, do not be late in paying it, for He is not pleased with fools. Pay what you promise to pay!

¶ When thou dost vow a vow unto God, do not defer to pay it; for he has no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou hast vowed.

5 I t is better not to make a promise, than to make a promise and not pay it.

It is better that thou should not vow than that thou should vow and not pay.

6 D o not let your mouth cause you to sin. And do not say to the one sent from God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry because of what you said, and destroy the work of your hands?

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was ignorance. Why should thou cause God to be angry because of thy voice and destroy the work of thine hands?

7 F or when there are many dreams, there are many empty words. Instead of this, honor God with fear. Money and Honor Are of Little Worth

Because dreams abound, and vanities and the words are many, but fear thou God.

8 I n one part of a land if you see a bad power held over the poor, and what is right and fair and good taken away, do not be surprised by what you see. For one leader watches over another leader, and more important leaders watch over them.

If thou seest violence unto the poor and the extortion of rights and justice in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for height is looking upon height; and there is one higher than they.

9 A fter all, a country does better with a king in power.

¶ And there is higher authority in all of the things of the earth, but he who serves the field is king.

10 H e who loves money will never have enough money to make him happy. It is the same for the one who loves to get many things. This also is for nothing.

He that loves money shall not be satisfied with money; nor he that loves abundance with increase; this is also vanity.

11 W hen there are more good things, there are also more people to eat them. So what does their owner get except to see them with his eyes?

When goods increase, those that eat them are increased; and what good is there to the owners thereof, except the beholding of them with their eyes?

12 T he sleep of the working man is pleasing, if he eats little or much. But the full stomach of the rich man does not let him sleep.

The sleep of the servant is sweet whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

13 T here is something very wrong which I have seen under the sun: Riches being kept by the owner and he is hurt by them.

There is another sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt;

14 W hen those riches are lost because he used them in a wrong way, and he had become the father of a son, there was nothing left for him.

which are lost by evil pursuits and to the sons which he has begotten; there is nothing left in his hand.

15 A man comes from his mother without clothing, and he will go as he came. He will take nothing from his work that he can carry in his hand.

As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

16 T his also is very wrong: As a man is born, this is the way he will leave. So what does the man get who works for the wind?

And this also is a sore evil; that in all points as he came, so shall he go; and what profit has he that has laboured for the wind?

17 A ll his life he eats in darkness with much sorrow, sickness and anger.

In addition to this, all the days of his life he shall eat in darkness, with much wrath and pain and sorrow sickness.

18 T his is what I have seen to be good and right: to eat and to drink and be happy in all the work one does under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him. For this is his reward.

¶ Behold therefore the good which I have seen: that good is to eat and to drink and to enjoy of the good of all his labour that he takes under the sun all the days of his life, which God gives him; for it is his portion.

19 A s for every man to whom God has given riches and many good things, He has also given him the power to eat from them, receive his reward and be happy in his work. This is the gift of God.

Likewise, unto every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, he has also given him power to eat thereof and to take his portion and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

20 F or he will not think much about the years of his life, because God keeps him happy in his heart.

To such a one, God will remove the concerns common to others, for God shall answer him with joy from his heart.