[1] \5:2\Be not unwise with your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to
say anything before God, because God is in heaven and you are on the
earth--so let not the number of your words be great. [2] \5:3\As a dream
comes from much business, so the voice of a foolish man comes with words in
great number. [3] \5:4\When you take an oath before God, put it quickly
into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you
have taken. [4] \5:5\It is better not to take an oath than to take an oath
and not keep it. [5] \5:6\Let not your mouth make your flesh do evil. And
say not before the angel, It was an error. So that God may not be angry
with your words and put an end to the work of your hands. [6] \5:7\Because
much talk comes from dreams and things of no purpose. But let the fear of
God be in you. [7] \5:8\If you see the poor under a cruel yoke, and law and
right being violently overturned in a country, be not surprised, because
one authority is keeping watch on another and there are higher than they.
[8] \5:9\It is good generally for a country where the land is worked to
have a king. [9] \5:10\He who has a love for silver never has enough
silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no
purpose. [10] \5:11\When goods are increased, the number of those who take
of them is increased; and what profit has the owner but to see them? [11]
\5:12\The sleep of a working man is sweet, if he has little food or much;
but to him who is full, sleep will not come. [12] \5:13\There is a great
evil which I have seen under the sun--wealth kept by the owner to be his
downfall. [13] \5:14\And I saw the destruction of his wealth by an evil
chance; and when he became the father of a son he had nothing in his hand.
[14] \5:15\As he came from his mother at birth, so does he go again; he
gets from his work no reward which he may take away in his hand. [15]
\5:16\And this again is a great evil, that in all points as he came so will
he go; and what profit has he in working for the wind? [16] \5:17\All his
days are in the dark, and he has much sorrow, pain, disease, and trouble.
[17] \5:18\This is what I have seen: it is good and fair for a man to take
meat and drink and to have joy in all his work under the sun, all the days
of his life which God has given him; that is his reward. [18] \5:19\Every
man to whom God has given money and wealth and the power to have pleasure
in it and to do his part and have joy in his work: this is given by God.
[19] \5:20\He will not give much thought to the days of his life; because
God lets him be taken up with the joy of his heart.
