Ecclesiastes 5

5 ¹Watch your foot as you dey enter di house of God. Come near make you listen, no be to bring di sacrifice of foolish people—dem no even know say dem dey do bad thing. ²No dey rush your mouth, and no let your heart quick-quick talk anything for God front—God dey for heaven, you dey for ground, so make your words small. ³Because dream dey come from plenty wahala-work, and di voice of foolish person dey come from plenty talk-talk. ⁴Wen you swear promise to God, no waste time to pay am—e no dey happy with foolish people. Pay wetin you promise. ⁵E better make you no promise at all pass make you promise and you no do am. ⁶No let your mouth make you do sin, and no tell di messenger say na mistake. Why God go vex for your voice and spoil di work wey your hand do? ^a a v6 Di messenger na di temple official or priest wey dey collect and write down di promises for God side. ⁷Because inside plenty dream and plenty words na smoke wey dey pass. So make you fear God.

Wickedness and di Profit wey Land dey Give

⁸If you see say dem dey oppress poor people, and dem dey trample justice and correct-and-holy way for di place, no let am surprise you—one big man dey watch anoda big man, and even bigger ones dey ontop dem. ⁹But di profit wey land dey give na for everybody; even di king self, na di farm dey serve am.

¹⁰Person wey love money no dey ever satisfy; person wey love riches no dey ever get enough income. Dis one too na smoke wey dey pass. ¹¹As riches dey grow, na so di people wey dey chop am dey plenty—wetin di owner gain apart from say e dey take im eye watch am?

¹²Di sleep of person wey dey work sweet, whether e chop small or plenty; but di plenty wey rich man get no dey let am sleep.

¹³I don see one evil wey dey make belle turn under di sun: riches wey di owner keep, wey come harm am. ¹⁴Dat riches loss for bad bizness, and wen e born pikin, notin remain wey e go leave for am. ¹⁵As e comot from im mama belle, na so e go go back naked, e dey go as e come, e no go carry anytin from im work hold for im hand. ¹⁶Dis one too na bitter evil: just as e come, na so e go go. Wetin e gain from say e dey suffer for wind? ¹⁷All im days, na inside darkness e dey chop, with plenty frustration, sickness, and vex.

¹⁸Dis one na wetin I don see: e good and e fit make person chop, drink, and see better tin for all di work wey e dey do under di sun for di few days of life wey God give am—because na dat one be im own share. ¹⁹Also, wen God give person riches, property, and power to enjoy dem, to accept im own share and find joy for im work—dat one na God gift. ²⁰E no go dey remember di days of im life well-well, because God dey keep am busy with di joy wey dey im heart.