Keep Your Promise to God
1Be careful what you say when you go to God’s house. Go there to listen. Don’t be like foolish people when you offer your sacrifice. They do what is wrong and don’t even know it.
2Don’t be too quick to speak.
Don’t be in a hurry to say anything to God.
God is in heaven. You are on earth.
So use only a few words when you speak.
3Many worries result in dreams.
Many words result in foolish talk.
4When you make a promise to God, don’t wait too long to carry it out. He isn’t pleased with foolish people. So do what you have promised. 5It is not good to make a promise and not keep it. It is better to make no promise at all. 6Don’t let your mouth cause you to sin. Don’t say to the temple messenger, “My promise was a mistake.” Why should God be angry with what you say? Why should he destroy what you have done? 7Dreaming too much and talking too much are meaningless. So have respect for God.
Riches Are Meaningless
8Suppose you see poor people being mistreated somewhere. And what is being done to them isn’t right or fair. Don’t be surprised by that. One official is watched by a higher one. Officials who are even higher are watching both of them. 9All of them take what the land produces. And the king himself takes his share from the fields.
10Anyone who loves money never has enough.
Anyone who loves wealth is never satisfied with what they get.
That doesn’t have any meaning either.
11As more and more goods are made,
more and more people use them up.
So how can those goods benefit their owners?
All they can do is look at them with desire.
12The sleep of a worker is sweet.
It doesn’t matter whether they eat a little or a lot.
But the wealth of rich people
keeps them awake at night.
13I’ve seen something very evil on earth.
It’s when wealth is stored up
and then brings harm to its owners.
14It’s also when wealth is lost
because of an unwise business deal.
Then there won’t be anything left
for the owners’ children.
15Everyone is born naked.
They come into the world with nothing.
And they go out of it with nothing.
They don’t get anything from their work
that they can take with them.
16Here’s something else that is very evil.
Everyone is born, and everyone dies.
And what do they get for their work?
Nothing. It’s like working for the wind.
17All their lives they eat in darkness.
Their lives are full of trouble, suffering and anger.
18I have seen what is good. It is good for a person to eat and drink. It’s good for them to be satisfied with their hard work on this earth. That’s what they should do during the short life God has given them. That’s what God made them for. 19Sometimes God gives a person wealth and possessions. God makes it possible for that person to enjoy them. God helps them accept the life he has given them. God helps them to be happy in their work. All these things are gifts from God. 20A person like that doesn’t have to think about how their life is going. That’s because God fills their heart with joy.
Simama Katika Kicho Cha Mungu
15:1 Za 89:7; Kut 3:5; Hos 6:6Linda hatua zako uendapo katika nyumba ya Mungu. Karibia usikilize kuliko kutoa dhabihu ya wapumbavu, ambao hawajui kuwa wanafanya kosa.
25:2 Amu 11:35; Ay 6:24; Mit 10:19; 20:25Usiwe mwepesi kuzungumza,
usiwe na haraka katika moyo wako
kuzungumza lolote mbele za Mungu.
Mungu yuko mbinguni
nawe uko duniani,
kwa hiyo maneno yako
na yawe machache.
35:3 Ay 20:8; Mhu 10:14Kama vile ndoto huja
wakati kuna shughuli nyingi,
ndivyo yalivyo mazungumzo ya mpumbavu
wakati kuna maneno mengi.
45:4 Mwa 28:20; Kum 23:21; Hes 30:2; Za 76:11; 119:60; Amu 11:35Wakati unapomwekea Mungu nadhiri, usikawie kuitimiza. Yeye hafurahii wapumbavu; timiza nadhiri yako. 55:5 Yon 2:9; Mdo 5:4; Hes 30:2-4Ni afadhali usiweke nadhiri kuliko kuiweka na usiitimize. 6Usiruhusu kinywa chako kukuingiza dhambini. Tena usijitetee mbele ya huyo mjumbe wa hekaluni, ukisema, “Niliweka nadhiri kwa makosa.” Kwa nini Mungu akasirike kwa ajili ya yale unayosema na kuiharibu kazi ya mikono yako? 75:7 Kum 10:12; Mhu 3:14; 12:13Kuota ndoto kwingi na maneno mengi ni ubatili. Kwa hiyo simama katika kicho cha Mungu.
Utajiri Ni Ubatili
85:8 Mhu 3:16; 4:1; Za 12:5Kama ukiona maskini wanaonewa katika nchi, hukumu na haki vikipotoshwa, usishangazwe na mambo hayo, kwa maana afisa mmoja anaangaliwa na aliye juu yake zaidi na juu ya hao wawili kuna wengine walio juu zaidi yao. 9Mafanikio ya nchi ni kwa ajili ya wote, hata mfalme mwenyewe hufaidi kutoka mashambani.
10Yeyote apendaye fedha kamwe
hatosheki na fedha;
yeyote apendaye utajiri kamwe
hatosheki na kipato chake.
Hili nalo pia ni ubatili.
11Mali ikiongezeka, ndivyo walaji
wanavyoongezeka.
Hii nayo inamfaidia nini mwenye mali
isipokuwa ni kushibisha macho yake?
125:12 Ay 20:20Usingizi wa kibarua ni mtamu,
awe amekula kidogo au kingi,
lakini wingi wa mali
humnyima tajiri usingizi.
135:13 Mhu 6:1-2Nimeshaona uovu mzito chini ya jua:
Utajiri uliolimbikizwa kwa kujinyima
na kuleta madhara kwa mwenye mali,
14au utajiri uliopotea kwa bahati mbaya,
hivyo kwamba wakati akiwa na mwana
hakuna chochote kilichobaki kwa ajili yake.
155:15 Za 49:17; 1Tim 6:7; Ay 1:21; Mhu 1:3Mtu hutoka tumboni mwa mama yake uchi,
naye jinsi alivyokuja vivyo hivyo huondoka.
Hachukui chochote kutokana na kazi yake
ambacho anaweza kukibeba mkononi mwake.
165:16 Mit 11:29; Mhu 1:3Hili nalo ni baya la kusikitisha:
Kama vile mtu ajavyo, vivyo hivyo huondoka,
naye anapata faida gani,
maadamu hutaabika kwa ajili ya upepo?
17Siku zake zote hula gizani,
pamoja na fadhaa kubwa,
mateso na hasira.
185:18 Mhu 2:3, 10, 14, 24Ndipo nikatambua kwamba ni vyema na sahihi kwa mtu kula na kunywa na kutosheka katika kazi yake ngumu chini ya jua katika siku chache za maisha yake Mungu alizompa, kwa maana hili ndilo fungu lake. 195:19 1Nya 29:12; 2Nya 1:12; Ay 31:2; Mhu 2:24; 6:2Zaidi ya yote, Mungu anapompa mtu yeyote utajiri na milki, humwezesha kuvifurahia, kukubali fungu lake na kuwa na furaha katika kazi yake, hii ni karama ya Mungu. 205:20 Kum 12:7, 18; Kut 23:25Mara chache mtu huzifikiri siku za maisha yake, kwa sababu Mungu humfanya ashikwe na furaha ya moyoni.
