Kohelet 5

¹Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine lev be hasty to utter any thing before HaElohim; for HaElohim is in Shomayim, and thou upon ha'aretz; therefore let thy devarim be few.

²As by a multitude of cares cometh a chalom, so by a multitude of devarim cometh the kol kesil (the voice of the fool) .

³When thou vowest a neder unto Elohim, defer not to pay it; for Hashem hath no pleasure in kesilim; pay that which thou hast vowed.

⁴Better it is that thou shouldest not make a neder, than that thou shouldest vow and not fulfill the neder.

⁵Suffer not thy mouth to lead thy basar into chet (sin) ; neither say thou before the Malach [of G-d], that it was a mistake. Wherefore should HaElohim be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

⁶For in the multitude of chalomot and many devarim there are also divers havalim; but fear thou HaElohim.[#5:6 see 1:2]

⁷If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of mishpat and tzedek in a province, marvel not at the matter; for he that is higher watches over him that is high; and there be higher than they.

⁸Moreover the profit of eretz is for all; Melech himself is served by the sadeh.

⁹He that loveth kesef shall never have enough kesef; nor shall he that loveth abundance have enough increase; this also is hevel.

¹⁰When hatovah (good things) increase, they are increased that consume them; and what kishron (useful result) is there to the ba'al (owner) thereof, except as an onlooker?

¹¹The sleep of the oved (working man) is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but the abundance of the oisher (rich man) will not permit him to sleep.

¹²There is a grievous ra'ah which I have seen under the shemesh; osher (riches) hoarded by the ba'al thereof to his hurt;

¹³The same osher (riches) perish by an evil event and he begetteth a ben; thus this one hath nothing in his hand.

¹⁴As he came forth of the womb of his Em (mother) , arom (naked) shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his amal (labor) , which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁵And this also is a grievous evil, that in every respect as he came, just so shall he go; and what profit hath he that hath toiled for the ruach (wind) ?

¹⁶All his yamim also he eateth in choshech, and he hath much ka'as (grief, vexation) and sickness and anger.

¹⁷Hinei I have seen it is tov and yafeh for one to eat and to drink, and to find tovah in all his amal (labor) that he toils under the shemesh all the few days of his life, which HaElohim giveth him; for it is his chelek.

¹⁸Also kol ha'adam to whom HaElohim hath given osher and possessions, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his chelek, and to rejoice in his amal; this is the gift of Elohim.

¹⁹For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because HaElohim keeps him occupied with simchat libbo (gladness of his heart) .