Don't Make Rash Promises (ECC 5:1-7)

[5:1] 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.

[5:2] 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.

[5:3] 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.

[5:4] 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.

[5:5] Better not to promise at all than to make a promise and not keep it.

[5:6] 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?

[5:7] 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.