CHAPTER 5
1 Thou that enterest into the house of God, keep thy foot, and nigh thou for to hear; for why much better is obedience, than the sacrifice of fools, that know not what evil they do.
2 Speak thou not anything follily, neither thine heart be swift to bring forth a word before God; for God is in heaven, and thou art on earth, therefore thy words be few.
3 Dreams follow many busynesses, and folly shall be found in many words.
4 If thou hast avowed anything to God, tarry thou not to yield it; for an unfaithful and fond promise displeaseth him; but yield thou whatever thing thou hast avowed;
5 and it is much better to make not a vow, than after a vow to yield not the promises.
6 Give thou not thy mouth, that thou make thy flesh to do sin; neither say thou before an angel, No purvey-ance there is; lest peradventure the Lord be wroth on thy words, and destroy all the works of thine hands.
7 Where be many dreams, be full many vanities, and words without number; but dread thou God.
8 If thou seest false challenges of needy men, and violent dooms, and that rightfulness is destroyed in the province, wonder thou not on this doing; for another is higher than an high man, and also other men be more high above these men;
9 and furthermore the king of all earth commandeth to the servant.
10 An avaricious man shall not be [ful] filled of money; and he that loveth riches shall not take fruits of them; and therefore this is vanity.
11 Where there be many riches, also many men there be, that eat those; and what profiteth it to the holder, but that he seeth [the] riches with his eyes?
12 Sleep is sweet to him that worketh, whether he eat little either much; but the fullness of a rich man suffereth not him to sleep.
13 Also another sickness is full evil, which I saw under the sun; riches be kept into the harm of their lord.
14 For they perish in the worst torment; he begat a son, that shall be in sovereign neediness.
15 As he went naked out of his mother’s womb, so he shall turn again; and he shall take away with him nothing of his travail.
16 Utterly it is a wretched sickness; as he came, so he shall turn again. What profiteth it to him, that he travailed into the wind?
17 In all the days of his life he ate in darknesses, and in many busynesses, and in neediness, and sorrow.
18 Therefore this seemed good to me, that a man eat, and drink, and use gladness of his travail, in which he travailed under the sun, in the number of [the] days of his life, which God gave to him; and this is his part.
19 And to each man, to whom God gave riches, and chattel [or substance], and gave power to him to eat of those, and to use his part, and to be glad of his travail; this is the gift of God.
20 For he shall not think much on the days of his life, for God occupieth his heart with delights.