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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Ecclesiastes 5 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-LR4HSKRP2H"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-LR4HSKRP2H'); </script><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/ecclesiastes/5.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/ecclesiastes/5-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > Ecclesiastes 5</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../ecclesiastes/4.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 4">◄</a> Ecclesiastes 5 <a href="../ecclesiastes/6.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 6">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s1">Be Careful How You Worship</h3><p class="par"><span class="v21_5_1"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.1" class="v21_5_1">1</span>Be careful what you do when you enter the house of God. Fools go there to offer sacrifices, because all they do is sin.<a href="#fn" id="link_Eccl.5.1!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> But it's best just to listen when you go to worship. </span><span class="v21_5_2"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.2" class="v21_5_2">2</span>Don't talk before you think or make promises to God without thinking them through. God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so don't talk too much. </span><span class="v21_5_3"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.3" class="v21_5_3">3</span>If you keep thinking about something, you will dream about it. If you talk too much, you will say the wrong thing.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v21_5_4"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.4" class="v21_5_4">4</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Eccl.5.4!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> God doesn't like fools. So don't be slow to keep your promises to God. </span><span class="v21_5_5"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.5" class="v21_5_5">5</span>It's better not to make a promise at all than to make one and not keep it. </span><span class="v21_5_6"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.6" class="v21_5_6">6</span>Don't let your mouth get you in trouble! And don't say to the worship leader,<a href="#fn" id="link_Eccl.5.6!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> “I didn't mean what I said.” God can destroy everything you have worked for, so don't say something that makes God angry.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v21_5_7"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.7" class="v21_5_7">7</span>Respect and obey God! Daydreaming leads to a lot of senseless talk.<a href="#fn" id="link_Eccl.5.7!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><p class="par"><span class="v21_5_8"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.8" class="v21_5_8">8</span>Don't be surprised if the poor of your country are abused, and injustice takes the place of justice. After all, the lower officials must do what the higher ones order them to do. </span><span class="v21_5_9"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.9" class="v21_5_9">9</span>And since the king is the highest official, he benefits most from the taxes paid on the land.<a href="#fn" id="link_Eccl.5.9!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><p class="par"><span class="v21_5_10"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.10" class="v21_5_10">10</span>If you love money and wealth, you will never be satisfied with what you have. This doesn't make a bit of sense. </span><span class="v21_5_11"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.11" class="v21_5_11">11</span>The more you have, the more everyone expects from you. Your money won't do you any good—others will just spend it for you. </span><span class="v21_5_12"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.12" class="v21_5_12">12</span>If you have to work hard for a living, you can rest well at night, even if you don't have much to eat. But if you are rich, you can't even sleep.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v21_5_13"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.13" class="v21_5_13">13</span>I have seen something terribly unfair. People get rich, but it does them no good. </span><span class="v21_5_14"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.14" class="v21_5_14">14</span>Suddenly they lose everything in a bad business deal, then have nothing to leave for their children. </span><span class="v21_5_15"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.15" class="v21_5_15">15</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Eccl.5.15!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> They came into this world naked, and when they die, they will be just as naked. They can't take anything with them, and they won't have anything to show for all their work. </span><span class="v21_5_16"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.16" class="v21_5_16">16</span>That's terribly unfair. They leave the world just as they came. They gained nothing from running after the wind. </span><span class="v21_5_17"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.17" class="v21_5_17">17</span>Besides all this, they are always gloomy at mealtime, and they are troubled, sick, and bitter.<a href="#fn" id="link_Eccl.5.17!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><p class="par"><span class="v21_5_18"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.18" class="v21_5_18">18</span>What is the best thing to do in the short life God has given us? I think we should enjoy eating, drinking, and working hard. This is what God intends for us to do. </span><span class="v21_5_19"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.19" class="v21_5_19">19</span>Suppose you are very rich and able to enjoy everything you own. Then go ahead and enjoy working hard—this is God's gift to you. </span><span class="v21_5_20"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.5.20" class="v21_5_20">20</span>God will keep you so happy that you won't have time to worry about each day.</span></p> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">5.1 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">because … sin: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">5.6 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">worship leader: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Or “messenger.”</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">5.7 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Daydreaming … talk: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">5.9 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">land: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 9.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">5.17 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">bitter: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 17.</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. 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