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.
Don't Make Rash Promises
1 Be careful about going to the Temple. It is better to go there to learn than to offer sacrifices like foolish people who don't know right from wrong. 2 Think before you speak, and don't make any rash promises to God. He is in heaven and you are on earth, so don't say any more than you have to. 3 The more you worry, the more likely you are to have bad dreams, and the more you talk, the more likely you are to say something foolish. 4 So when you make a promise to God, keep it as quickly as possible. He has no use for a fool. Do what you promise to do. 5 Better not to promise at all than to make a promise and not keep it. 6 Don't let your own words lead you into sin, so that you have to tell God's priest that you didn't mean it. Why make God angry with you? Why let him destroy what you have worked for? 7 No matter how much you dream, how much useless work you do, or how much you talk, you must still stand in awe of God.
Life Is Useless
8 Don't be surprised when you see that the government oppresses the poor and denies them justice and their rights. Every official is protected by someone higher, and both are protected by still higher officials.
9 Even a king depends on the harvest.
10 If you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. It is useless. 11 The richer you are, the more mouths you have to feed. All you gain is the knowledge that you are rich. 12 Workers may or may not have enough to eat, but at least they can get a good night's sleep. The rich, however, have so much that they stay awake worrying.
13 Here is a terrible thing that I have seen in this world: people save up their money for a time when they may need it, 14 and then lose it all in some bad deal and end up with nothing left to pass on to their children. 15 We leave this world just as we entered it—with nothing. In spite of all our work there is nothing we can take with us. 16 It isn't right! We go just as we came. We labor, trying to catch the wind, and what do we get? 17 We get to live our lives in darkness and grief, worried, angry, and sick.
18 Here is what I have found out: the best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for during the short life that God has given us; this is our fate. 19 If God gives us wealth and property and lets us enjoy them, we should be grateful and enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God. 20 Since God has allowed us to be happy, we will not worry too much about how short life is.
