Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 5 ©

1 Cautions against abuses in divine service; 8 against murmuring at oppression. 9 The vanity of riches. 18 The cheerful enjoyment of what a man hath is good, and the gift of God, and a blessing to him that hath it.

1

KEEP athy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, bthan to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

a Ex. 3.5; 30.18-20. 2Ch. 26.16. Ps. 89.7. Jos. 5.15. 1Pe. 2.1,2. Ac. 10.33. Ja. 1.19,21.
b 1Sa. 15.22. Ps. 50.8,9. Is. 1.11-15; 66.3. Ho. 6.6. Pr. 15.8; 21.27. Je. 7.9,10.
2

cBe not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any 1thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words dbe few.

c Ge. 18.27,30. Ps. 39.1; 106.33; 116.11.
d Pr. 10.19. Mat. 6.7. v.3,7.
3

For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and ea fool's voice is known by multitude of words.

e Pr. 10.19; 15.2. ch. 10.3,14.
4

fWhen thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for ghe hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

f Nu. 30.2. Ge. 28.20. De. 23.21-23. Ps. 50.14; 66.13,14; 76.11; 119.106. Is. 19.21. Je. 50.5. 2Co. 8.5. Pr. 20.23.
g He. 10.38.
5

hBetter is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

h Ac. 5.4. Pr. 20.25. De. 23.22.
6

iSuffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before jthe angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and kdestroy the work of thine hands?

i v.1,2. Ja. 1.12; 3.2.
j 1Ti. 5.21. 1Co. 11.10. Mal. 2.7. Le. 5.4,5. He. 1.14.
k De. 28.15.
7

For in the lmultitude of dreams and many words there are also *divers vanities: mbut fear thou God.

l Mat. 12.36. v.3.
m ch. 12.13. Pr. 23.17. He. 12.28.
8

nIf thou seest othe oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not 2at the matter: pfor he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and qthere be higher than they.

n ch. 3.16; 4.1.
o Eze. 18.18.
p Is. 59.15. Ps. 58.11; 82.1; 83.18; 12.5; 10.18; 33.13-15.
q Ps. 95.3.
9

¶Moreover rthe profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.

r Ps. 104.14,15. 1Ch. 26.25-31. 1Ki. 4.7-23. 2Ch. 26.10.
10

sHe that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that tloveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

s Mat. 6.19,24. Ps. 52.7. 1Ti. 6.10. ch. 6.7; 4.8. 1Ki. 21.6. Pr. 30.15.
t Ps. 37.16.
11

uWhen goods increase, they are increased that eat them: vand what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

u 1Ki. 3.13; 4.22,23.
v Pr. 23.5. Ps. 127.2.
12

The wsleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

w Ps. 4.8; 127.2.
13

There is a x*sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, yriches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

x ch. 1.14; 6.1,2.
y Pr. 1.19,32; 30.9. Lu. 16.19. 1Ti. 6.9,10. Ja. 2.6,7; 5.1,2,4-6. 1Ki. 21.7,13.
14

But zthose riches perish by evil *travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

z Job 5.5; 20.15-22; 18.5-21.
15

As he acame 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.

a Job 1.21. Ps. 49.17. Pr. 11.4. 1Ti. 6.7.
16

And this also is a *sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and bwhat profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

b Ps. 127.2. Pr. 23.5; 11.29. Ho. 8.7. ch. 1.3. Mat. 16.26. Jn. 6.27.
17

cAll his days also he eateth in darkness, and dhe hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

c Ps. 127.2; 90.7,9; 78.33. ch. 6.2,4.
d Pr. 1.27-29.
18

¶Behold that which I have seen: e3it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all 4the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is fhis portion.

e ch. 2.24; 5.12,13; 8.15; 9.7; 11.9. 1Ti. 6.17.
f ch. 3.22; 2.22. v.19.
19

Every gman also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; hthis is the gift of God.

g ch. 2.24; 3.12,13; 6.2. De. 8.18. 1Ki. 3.13.
h v.18. ch. 2.22.
20

5For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because iGod answereth him in the joy of his heart.

i Ex. 23.25. De. 28.8-12. Ps. 4.6,7. Is. 64.5. Ro. 5.1-5,11.