Ecclesiastes 4:13

Labor Motivated by Prestige-Seeking

4:13 A poor but wise youth is better than an old and foolish king

who no longer knows how to receive advice.

Ecclesiastes 5:3

5:3 Just as dreams come when there are many cares,

so the rash vow of a fool occurs when there are many words.

6:8 So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool?

And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive?

7:6 For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot,

so is the laughter of the fool.

This kind of folly also is useless.

7:9 Do not let yourself be quickly provoked,

for anger resides in the lap of fools.

10:15 The toil of a stupid fool wears him out,

because he does not even know the way to the city.

2:14 The wise man can see where he is going, but the fool walks in darkness.

Yet I also realized that the same fate happens to them both.

2:15 So I thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me!

Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively wise?”

So I lamented to myself,

“The benefits of wisdom are ultimately meaningless!”

5:4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in paying it.

For God takes no pleasure in fools:

Pay what you vow!

Rash Vows

5:1 Be careful what you do when you go to the temple of God;

draw near to listen rather than to offer a sacrifice like fools,

for they do not realize that they are doing wrong.