1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. 2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. 3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.
4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.
8 ¶ If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.
9 ¶ Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. 10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. 11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? 12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. 13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely , riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. 14 But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. 15 As he came 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. 16 And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind? 17 All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.
18 ¶ Behold that which I have seen: it 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 the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. 19 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 labour; this is the gift of God. 20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.
Bijība Dieva priekšā
1 Nepārsteidzies ar muti,
un lai tava sirds nesteidz
runāt Dieva priekšā,
jo Dievs ir debesīs,
bet tu uz zemes –
lai tavi vārdi ir skopi.
2 Jo no sapņa nāk pulka bažu
un no muļķa mutes – pulka vārdu.
3 Kad tu ko apsoli Dievam,
nevilcinies ar maksu,
jo viņam nepatīk muļķi –
ko apsoli, to samaksā.
4 Labāk nesoli
nekā soli un nemaksā.
5 Neļauj savai mutei tevi apgrēcināt
un nesaki vēstnesim:
tā bija kļūme! –
Kādēļ lai Dievs noskaišas uz tavu balsi
un sagrauj tavu roku darbu?
6 Daudz ir sapņu,
pulka tukšības un runu –
taču bīsties Dieva!
7 Kad tu redzi, ka novadā apspiež nabagos un laupa tiesu un taisnību, nebrīnies par to, jo augstos uzrauga vēl augstāki un pār tiem stāv visaugstākie.
8 Zemes raža ir pāri visam –
kam iekopti lauki, tas ķēniņš!
9 Kas mīl naudu,
tam naudas nepietiek,
un, kas mīl pārpilnību,
tam gana neienāk – tā arī ir tukšība.
10 Jo vairāk labuma,
jo vairāk ēdāju,
un ko iegūst tie, kam tas pieder?
Tik aplūkot acīm!
11 Salds ir strādnieka miegs,
visviens, vai tas ēdis tik drusku vai pulka –
bet bagātam sāts neļauj gulēt.
12 Es esmu redzējis
ļaunu postu zem saules –
ka bagātība nāk savam īpašniekam par postu.
13 Un bagātība izputēja neveiksmīgā darījumā,
un viņam piedzima dēls, bet nebija nekā, ko tam atstāt.
14 Kāds viņš nāca no mātes miesām,
tāds pats kails viņš atkal aizies –
tāds, kāds viņš nāca!
Neko viņš nepaņems līdzi par savām pūlēm,
neko viņš neaiznesīs!
15 Tas arī ir ļauns posts –
kāds viņš nāca, tāds aizies –
un ko viņš iemantojis, pūlēdamies priekš vēja?
16 Visas savas dienas viņš tumsībā ēd
un cieš, un vārgst, un skaišas.
17 Redzi, ko es uzskatu par labu un jauku – ēst, dzert un rast prieku pūliņos, ko cilvēks nopūlas zem saules sava mūža dienās, ko Dievs viņam devis, – jo tā ir viņa daļa. 18 Ja Dievs devis cilvēkam bagātību, mantu un spēju to baudīt un gūt savu daļu, un priecāties par saviem pūliņiem – tā ir Dieva dāvana. 19 Viņam nenāksies gremzties par sava mūža dienām, jo Dievs pilda viņa sirdi ar prieku.
