傳道書 4
1 我又轉目注視在太陽下所行的一切暴行：看，受壓迫者眼淚汪流，卻無人安慰；壓迫人者手中只有權勢，卻無人加以援助。
I turnede me to othere thingis, and Y siy fals chalengis, that ben don vndur the sunne, and the teeris of innocentis, and no man coumfortour; and that thei forsakun of the help of alle men, moun not ayenstonde the violence of hem.
2 於是我聲稱那已死去的人，比現今還活著的人更為有福。
And Y preiside more deed men than lyuynge men;
3 那還沒有出世的人，比這兩等人更為有福，因為他還沒有見到太陽下所行的惡事。
and Y demyde hym, that was not borun yit, and siy not the yuels that ben don vndur the sunne, to be blisfulere than euer eithir.
4 我也看出各種勞苦和一切工作的技巧，都是出於人彼此間的競爭：這也是空虛，也是追風。
Eft Y bihelde alle the trauelis of men, and bisynesses; and Y perseyuede that tho ben opyn to the enuye of neiybore; and therfor in this is vanyte, and superflu bisynesse.
5 愚人交臂叉手，是自食己肉。
A fool foldith togidere hise hondis, and etith hise fleischis,
6 捧一把安逸，勝過兩把勞苦和追風。
and seith, Betere is an handful with reste, than euer either hondful with trauel and turment of soule.
7 我又轉睛，看見在太陽下有件空虛的事：
I bihelde and foond also another vanytee vndir the sunne;
8 有個孤獨無伴的人，既沒有兒子，又沒有兄弟，卻時常勞苦不息，他的眼總是貪得無厭，從來不問：「我辛辛苦苦，節制享樂，究竟是為誰﹖」這也是空虛和大不幸。
oon is, and he hath not a secounde; not a sone, not a brother; and netheles he ceesith not for to trauele, nether hise iyen ben fillid with richessis; nether he bithenkith, and seith, To whom trauele Y, and disseyue my soule in goodis? In this also is vanyte, and the worste turment.
9 兩人勝過一人，因為兩人工作，酬報優厚：
Therfor it is betere, that tweyne be togidere than oon; for thei han profite of her felouschipe.
10 若一個跌倒了，另一個可扶起自己的同伴。哀哉孤獨者! 他若跌倒了，沒有另一人扶起他來。
If oon fallith doun, he schal be vndurset of the tothere; wo to hym that is aloone, for whanne he fallith, he hath noon reisynge him.
11 又如兩人同眠，都感溫暖；若孤獨一人，怎能暖和﹖
And if tweyne slepen, thei schulen be nurschid togidere; hou schal oon be maad hoot?
12 若一人抵不住一人，兩人就能抵住。－－三股繩，不易斷。
And if ony man hath maistri ayens oon, tweyne ayen stonden hym; a threfolde corde is brokun of hard.
13 一個貧寒而明智的青年，勝過一個年老昏愚，而總不採納忠言的君王。
A pore man and wijs is betere than an eld kyng and fool, that kan not bifore se in to tyme to comynge.
14 這青年雖在國中出身貧寒，但由獄中出來，執政為王；
For sum tyme a man goith out bothe fro prysoun and chaynes to a rewme; and anothir borun in to a rewme is wastid bi nedynesse.
15 我看見一切在太陽下行走的活人，都擁護青年人，新繼位者，來代替老王。
I siy alle men lyuynge that goen vndur the sunne, with the secounde yong wexynge man, that schal rise for hym.
16 擁護他為領袖的人民，多得無數；但日後，那些後來的人卻不喜歡他：這也是空虛，也是追風。
The noumbre of puple, of alle that weren bifore hym, is greet with outen mesure, and thei that schulen come aftirward, schulen not be glad in hym; but also this is vanyte and turment of the spirit.
