| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. | 1Be careful what you do when you go to the temple of God; draw near to listen rather than to offer a sacrifice like fools, for they do not realize that they are doing wrong. |
| 2Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few. | 2Do not be rash with your mouth or hasty in your heart to bring up a matter before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth! Therefore, let your words be few. |
| 3For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool’s voice is known by his many words. | 3Just as dreams come when there are many cares, so the rash vow of a fool occurs when there are many words. |
| 4When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed— | 4When you make a vow to God, do not delay in paying it. For God takes no pleasure in fools: Pay what you vow! |
| 5Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. | 5It is better for you not to vow than to vow and not pay it. |
| 6Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? | 6Do not let your mouth cause you to sin, and do not tell the priest, "It was a mistake!" Why make God angry at you so that he would destroy the work of your hands?" |
| 7For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God. | 7Just as there is futility in many dreams, so also in many words. Therefore, fear God! |
| 8If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them. | 8If you see the extortion of the poor, or the perversion of justice and fairness in the government, do not be astonished by the matter. For the high official is watched by a higher official, and there are higher ones over them! |
| 9Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field. | 9The produce of the land is seized by all of them, even the king is served by the fields. |
| 10He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. | 10The one who loves money will never be satisfied with money, he who loves wealth will never be satisfied with his income. This also is futile. |
| 11When goods increase, They increase who eat them; So what profit have the owners Except to see them with their eyes? | 11When someone's prosperity increases, those who consume it also increase; so what does its owner gain, except that he gets to see it with his eyes? |
| 12The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep. | 12The sleep of the laborer is pleasant--whether he eats little or much--but the wealth of the rich will not allow him to sleep. |
| 13There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt. | 13Here is a misfortune on earth that I have seen: Wealth hoarded by its owner to his own misery. |
| 14But those riches perish through misfortune; When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. | 14Then that wealth was lost through bad luck; although he fathered a son, he has nothing left to give him. |
| 15As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, To go as he came; And he shall take nothing from his labor Which he may carry away in his hand. | 15Just as he came forth from his mother\'s womb, naked will he return as he came, and he will take nothing in his hand that he may carry away from his toil. |
| 16And this also is a severe evil— Just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind? | 16This is another misfortune: Just as he came, so will he go. What did he gain from toiling for the wind? |
| 17All his days he also eats in darkness, And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger. | 17Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life, and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger. |
| 18Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. | 18I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth during the few days of their life which God has given them, for this is their reward. |
| 19As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. | 19To every man whom God has given wealth, and possessions, he has also given him the ability to eat from them, to receive his reward and to find enjoyment in his toil; these things are the gift of God. |
| 20For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart. | 20For he does not think much about the fleeting days of his life because God keeps him preoccupied with the joy he derives from his activity. |
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