{[Chapter 4:17 in Hebrew]}Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God; for to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they know not that they do evil. {[Chapter 5:1 in Hebrew]}
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter {Or, a word}anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
For a dream cometh with a multitude of {Or, travail}business, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou vowest.
Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the {Or, messenger of God See Malachi 2:7.}angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?
For in the multitude of dreams there are vanities, and in many words: but fear thou God.
If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in {Or, the state}a province, marvel not at the matter: for one higher than the high regardeth; and there are higher than they.
{Or, But the profit of a land every way is a king that maketh himself servant to the field (or, is a king over the cultivated field)}Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance, with increase: this also is vanity.
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, save the beholding of them with his eyes?
The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt:
and those riches perish by evil {Or, travail}adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.
As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.
And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that he laboreth for the wind?
All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he is sore vexed, and hath sickness and wrath.
Behold, {Or, that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one &c.}that which I have seen to be good and to be comely is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor, wherein he laboreth under the sun, {Hebrew: the number of days.}all the days of his life which God hath given him: for this is his portion.
Every man 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 labor — this is the gift of God.
For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.
Querverweise zu Prediger 5,20 Pred 5,20
Better is a little that the righteous hathThan the abundance of many wicked.
Jehovah will command the blessing upon thee in thy barns, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto; and he will bless thee in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.
Jehovah will establish thee for a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee; if thou shalt keep the commandments of Jehovah thy God, and walk in his ways.
And all the peoples of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of Jehovah; and they shall be afraid of thee.
And Jehovah will make thee plenteous for good, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Jehovah will open unto thee his good {Or, treasury}treasure the heavens, to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
Because thou servedst not Jehovah thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things;
Many there are that say, Who will show us any good?Jehovah, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
Thou hast put gladness in my heart,More than they have when their grain and their new wine are increased.
Thou {Or, sparest}meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou wast wroth, and we sinned: {Or, in those is continuance, and we shall be saved The Hebrew is obscure.}in them have we been of long time; and shall we be saved?
Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be put to shame;
behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall wail for {Hebrew: breaking.}vexation of spirit.
And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, and my chosen shall {Hebrew: wear out.}long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for {Or, sudden terror}calamity; for they are the seed of the blessed of Jehovah, and their offspring {Or, shall be with them}with them.
And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
Being therefore justified {Greek: out of.}by faith, {Many ancient authorities read let us have.}we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
and hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath been {Greek: poured out.}shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which was given unto us.
For while we were yet weak, in due season Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: for peradventure for the good man some one would even dare to die.
But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, being now justified {Greek: in.}by his blood, shall we be saved from the wrath of God through him.
For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved {Greek: in.}by his life;
and not only so, {Greek: but also glorying. Compare verse 2.}but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.