傳道書 12
1 在你年輕的時日，在災禍的日子來到之前，即在你說的那些「沒有歡樂」的日子來到之前，你應記念你的造主；
Haue thou mynde on thi creatour in the daies of thi yongthe, bifore that the tyme of thi turment come, and the yeris of thi deth neiye, of whiche thou schalt seie, Tho plesen not me.
2 不要等到太陽、光體、月亮、星辰失光，雨後雲彩再來；
`Haue thou mynde on thi creatour, bifor that the sunne be derk, and the liyt, and sterrys, and the mone; and cloude turne ayen after reyn.
3 因為那時，看門者戰慄，大力士屈伏，推磨的婦女因為少而停工，眺望窗外的女人面目昏黑，
Whanne the keperis of the hous schulen be mouyd, and strongeste men schulen tremble; and grynderis schulen be idel, whanne the noumbre schal be maad lesse, and seeris bi the hoolis schulen wexe derk;
4 兩扇街門將要關閉，磨聲低微，雀鳥息聲，歌女低吟，
and schulen close the doris in the street, in the lownesse of vois of a gryndere; and thei schulen rise at the vois of a brid, and alle the douytris of song schulen wexe deef.
5 怕上高處，行路危險，杏子被棄，蚱蜢被嫌，續隨子失去效力，因為人要回永久的家鄉，哀悼的人徘徊街頭；
And hiy thingis schulen drede, and schulen be aferd in the weie; an alemaunde tre schal floure, a locuste schal be maad fat, and capparis schal be distried; for a man schal go in to the hous of his euerlastyngnesse, and weileris schulen go aboute in the street.
6 那時銀鏈將斷，金燈將碎，水罐將破於泉旁，輪子將爛於井邊，
Haue thou mynde on thi creatour, byfore that a siluerne roop be brokun, and a goldun lace renne ayen, and a watir pot be al to-brokun on the welle, and a wheele be brokun togidere on the cisterne;
7 灰塵將歸於原來的土中，生氣將歸於天主，因為原是天主之所賜。
and dust turne ayen in to his erthe, wherof it was, and the spirit turne ayen to God, that yaf it.
8 訓道者說：虛而又虛，萬事皆虛。
The vanyte of vanytees, seide Ecclesiastes, the vanyte of vanytees, and alle thingis ben vanyte.
9 訓道者不但是智者，並且教人獲得知識，在沉思推究之後，編撰了許多格言。
And whanne Ecclesiastes was moost wijs, he tauyte the puple, and he telde out the thingis whiche he dide,
10 訓道者費神尋找適當的語句，忠誠地寫下了真理之言。
and he souyte out wisdom, and made many parablis; he souyte profitable wordis, and he wroot moost riytful wordis, and ful of treuthe.
11 智者的話好似錐子，收集起的言論集，好像釘牢的釘子：二者都是一位牧者所賜。
The wordis of wise men ben as prickis, and as nailis fastned deepe, whiche ben youun of o scheepherde bi the counsels of maistris.
12 除此之外，我兒，不必再找別的書籍，書不論寫多少，總沒有止境；用功過度，必使身體疲倦。
My sone, seke thou no more than these; noon ende is to make many bookis, and ofte thenkyng is turment of fleisch.
13 總而言之：「你應敬畏天主，遵守他的誡命，因為這是眾人的義務。」
Alle we here togydere the ende of spekyng. Drede thou God, and kepe hise heestis; `that is to seie, ech man.
14 因為天主對一切行為，連最隱秘的，不論好壞，都要一一審判。
God schal brynge alle thingis in to dom, that ben don; for ech thing don bi errour, whether it be good, ether yuel.
