Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools , who do not know that they do wrong.
Do not be quick to speak , and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. After all , God is in heaven and you are on earth. So ... let your words be few.
As a dream comes through many cares , so the speech of a fool (comes) with many words.
When you make a vow to God , do not delay in fulfilling it , because He takes no pleasure in fools. - Fulfill - your vow.
It is better - not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
Do not let - your mouth {cause} your flesh to sin - , and do not tell ... the messenger that (your vow) was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy - the work of your hands ?
For as many dreams bring futility , so do many words. Therefore , - fear God.
If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province , do not be astonished at the matter ; for one official ... is watched by a superior , and others higher still are over them.
The produce of the earth is taken by all ; ... the king himself profits from the fields.
He who loves money is never satisfied by money , and he who loves wealth is never (satisfied) by income. This too is futile.
When good things increase , so do those who consume them ; what then is the profit to the owner , except ... to behold them with his eyes ?
The sleep of the worker is sweet , whether he eats little or much , but the abundance of the rich man permits no sleep.
There is a grievous evil I have seen under the sun : wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner ,
or wealth lost in a failed venture , so when (that man) has a son there is nothing to pass on ....
As (a man) came from his mother’s womb , so he will depart again , naked as he arrived. He takes nothing ... for his labor to carry in his hands.
This too is a grievous evil : Exactly as ... a man is born , so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind ?
Moreover , all his days he eats in darkness , with much sorrow , sickness , and anger.
Here is what I have seen to be good - and fitting : to eat and drink , and to find satisfaction in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of life that God has given for this is his lot.
Furthermore , God has given riches and wealth every man - , and He has enabled him to enjoy them , ... to accept - his lot , and to rejoice in his labor. This is a gift from God. ...
For (a man) seldom ... considers - the days of his life , because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.