the Seventh Week after Epiphany
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Revised Standard Version
Ecclesiastes 5:12
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Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.
The sleepe of him that traueileth, is sweete, whether he eate litle or much: but the sacietie of the riche will not suffer him to sleepe.
The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits him no sleep.
The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
Those who work hard all day come home and sleep in peace. It is not important if they have little or much to eat. But the rich worry about their wealth and are not able to sleep.
The sleep of a working man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach (greed) of the rich [who hungers for even more] will not let him sleep.
The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
If you have to work hard for a living, you can rest well at night, even if you don't have much to eat. But if you are rich, you can't even sleep.
Here is a gross evil which I have seen under the sun: the owner of wealth hoards it to his own hurt.
There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt;
The sleepe of a labouring man is sweete, whether he eate little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleepe.
There is an infirmity which I have seen under the sun, namely, wealth kept for its owner to his hurt.
The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep.
The sleep of the laborer is pleasant, whether he eats little or much, but the wealth of the rich man does not allow him to rest.
The sleep of the laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much. But the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
Those who work hard sleep in peace; it is not important if they eat little or much. But rich people worry about their wealth and cannot sleep.
The sleep of the laborer is pleasant—whether he eats little or much— but the wealth of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.
People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night's sleep.
The sleep of the working man is pleasing, if he eats little or much. But the full stomach of the rich man does not let him sleep.
Sweet is the sleep of laborers, whether they eat little or much; but the surfeit of the rich will not let them sleep.
Sweet the sleep of the labourer, whether, little or much, he eat, - but, the surfeit of the rich man, will not suffer him to sleep.
(5-11) Sleep is sweet to a labouring man, whether he eat little or much: but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
Sweet is the sleep of a laboring man, whether he eat little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not let him sleep.
Workers may or may not have enough to eat, but at least they can get a good night's sleep. The rich, however, have so much that they stay awake worrying.
The sleep of the laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich person does not allow him to sleep.
The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
A labouryng man sleepeth swetely, whether it be litle or much that he eateth: but the aboundaunce of the riche wyll not suffer him to sleepe.
The sleep of the labourer is sweet, whether he have eaten little or much; but the fulness of the rich doth not suffer him to sleep.
Slepe is swete to hym that worchith, whether he etith litil ether myche; but the fulnesse of a ryche man suffrith not hym to slepe.
Sweet [is] the sleep of the labourer whether he eat little or much; and the sufficiency of the wealthy is not suffering him to sleep.
The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the fullness of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
The sleep of a laboring man [is] sweet, whether he eateth little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
The sleep of a working man is sweet, if he has little food or much; but to him who is full, sleep will not come.
A labouringe man slepeth swetely, whether it be litle or moch that he eateth: but the abundaunce of the riche wil not suffre him to slepe.
Hard and honest work earns a good night's sleep, Whether supper is beans or steak. But a rich man's belly gives him insomnia.
The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep.
The sleep of the laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the satisfaction of the rich man does not allow him to sleep.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Psalms 4:8, Psalms 127:2, Proverbs 3:24, Jeremiah 31:26
Reciprocal: Genesis 48:15 - fed me Judges 19:16 - his work Psalms 104:23 - General Ecclesiastes 2:23 - his heart Ecclesiastes 8:16 - there is that
Cross-References
the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Maha'lale-el, the son of Ca-i'nan,
Gill's Notes on the Bible
The sleep of a labouring man [is] sweet, whether he eat little or much,.... Or "of a servant" i, who enjoys sleep equally as a king; a tiller of the ground, as Jarchi; who also interprets it of one that serves the Lord, as likewise the Targum; a beloved one of his, to whom he gives sleep, Psalms 127:2. A refreshing sleep is always reckoned a great mercy and blessing, and which labouring men enjoy with sweetness k; for if they have but little to eat at supper, yet coming weary from their work, sleep is easily brought on when they lie down, and sound sleep they have, and rise in the morning lively and active, and fit for business; or, if they eat more plentifully, yet through their labour they have a good digestion, and their sleep is not hindered: so that should it be answered to the above question, what has the master more than the servant, though he eats and drinks more freely, and of the best, and lives voluptuously? yet it may be replied, that, in the business of sleep, the labouring man has the preference to him; which must be owned to be a great blessing of life, and is often interrupted by excessive eating and drinking;
but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep; either the abundance of food which he eats, which loads his stomach, and fills his head with vapours, and makes him restless, so that he can get no sleep, or what he does get is very uncomfortable: or the abundance of his riches fills him with cares, what he shall do with them, and how to keep and increase them; and with fears, lest thieves should break in and take them away from him, so that he cannot sleep quietly l. The Targum is,
"sweet is the sleep of a man that serves the Lord of the world with a perfect heart; and he shall have rest in the house of his grave, whether he lives a few years or more, c''
and much to the same purpose Jarchi; and who says, it is thus interpreted in an ancient book of theirs, called Tanchuma.
i העבד του δουλου, Sept. "servi", Arab. "i.e. agricolae", Drusius, Rambachius; "qui par regi famuloque venis", Senec. Hercul. Fur. v. 1073. k "Somnus agrestium lenis", &c. Horat. Carmin. l. 3. Ode 1. v. 21, 22. l "Ne noctu, nec diu quietus unquam eam", Plauti Aulularia, Act. 1. Sc. 1. v. 23. "Aurea rumpunt tecta quietem", Senec. Hercul. Oet. v. 646.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Labouring man - Not a slave (Septuagint), but everyone who, according to the divine direction, earns his bread in the sweat of his brow.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Ecclesiastes 5:12. The sleep of a labouring man is sweet — His labour is healthy exercise. He is without possessions, and without cares; his sleep, being undisturbed, is sound and refreshing.
