Ecclesiastes 5:2-17

²Be not unwise with your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to say anything before God, because God is in heaven and you are on the earth — so let not the number of your words be great.

³As a dream comes from much business, so the voice of a foolish man comes with words in great number.

⁴When you take an oath before God, put it quickly into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you have taken.

⁵It is better not to take an oath than to take an oath and not keep it.

⁶Let not your mouth make your flesh do evil. And say not before the angel, It was an error. So that God may not be angry with your words and put an end to the work of your hands.

⁷Because much talk comes from dreams and things of no purpose. But let the fear of God be in you.

⁸If you see the poor under a cruel yoke, and law and right being violently overturned in a country, be not surprised, because one authority is keeping watch on another and there are higher than they.

⁹It is good generally for a country where the land is worked to have a king.

¹⁰He who has a love for silver never has enough silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no purpose.

¹¹When goods are increased, the number of those who take of them is increased; and what profit has the owner but to see them?

¹²The sleep of a working man is sweet, if he has little food or much; but to him who is full, sleep will not come.

¹³There is a great evil which I have seen under the sun — wealth kept by the owner to be his downfall.

¹⁴And I saw the destruction of his wealth by an evil chance; and when he became the father of a son he had nothing in his hand.

¹⁵As he came from his mother at birth, so does he go again; he gets from his work no reward which he may take away in his hand.

¹⁶And this again is a great evil, that in all points as he came so will he go; and what profit has he in working for the wind?

¹⁷All his days are in the dark, and he has much sorrow, pain, disease, and trouble.