Rhyming Ecclesiastes: Chapter 5

Rhyming Ecclesiastes: Chapter 5

Fulfill Your Vow To God

When you go near the house of God, your steps,
what you should guard. To listen, there, instead
of off’ring up the sacrifice of fools
who’re ignorant of that, the wrong they do.

Your mouth, you never should be quick with that,
do not be hasty in your heart’s intent
to utter anything before our God.
For God’s in heaven, here on earth, you trod
so let your words be numbered very few.
A dream comes when man’s cares, he can’t eschew
and many words will mark the speech of fools.
When you, to God, would ever make a vow,
make no delay, you should fulfill it now.
No pleasure that he ever has in fools.
Fulfill your vow. It is a general rule:
it’s better if, a vow, you never would
have made than making ones that’s not fulfilled.

Don’t ever let your mouth lead you to sin.
And to the temple messenger, don’t e’er, to him,
protest and say, “My vow was a mistake.”
Why should God, anger, have, at what you say,
and, of your hands, their works, he would destroy?

Riches Are Meaningless

Much dreaming, words, them both are meaningless.
Therefore fear God. If you see them oppressed,
the poor, within a district, they’re denied
both justice, rights. You shouldn’t be surprised,
for one official, by them, he is eyed,
those higher up, and others, o’er them still.
The increase from the land is took by all;
the king will profit from the fields himself.

Whoe’er loves money never is fulfilled;
their income with it, they ne’er satisfied,
whoe’er loves wealth. This, meaningless, is too.

As goods increase, so do those who consume
them. And what benefit are they to them
who own them but their feasting, ocular?

It’s sweet, the sleep, that of the laborer,
if they eat little, much, but for the rich,
abundance, theirs, no sleep does it permit.

I’ve seen a grievous evil ‘neath the sun:
an owner’s wealth is hoarded to their harm,
through some misfortune, all their wealth is lost,
when they have children, there is nothing left
for their inheritance. Their mother’s womb,
will everyone, from there, they, naked, come.
In that condition they’ll depart as well.
It’s nothing that they’ll take from all their toil
that they can ever carry in their hands.

This too is grievous evil: to a man,
as all will come, so they’ll depart again
and what, their gain, they’re toiling for the wind?
All of their days, in darkness they will eat,
affliction, anger, their frustration, great.

This is what I’ve observed as being good:
that it’s appropriate that they’d consume
their food, their drink, and satisfaction, find
from all their toilsome labor, how they strive
beneath the sun, the few days of their life
God’s given them–for this is what’s their lot.
Moreover, wealth, possessions, them, when God
gives someone and too, an ability
to them, enjoy, and also, happy, be,
with that, their toil–this is, of God, a gift.
They seldom will, upon their life, reflect,
for God will keep them fully occupied
with gladness in their heart, where it’s inscribed.