傳道書 12
1 你趁着年幼、衰敗的日子尚未來到，就是你所說，我毫無喜樂的那些年日未曾臨近之先，當記念造你的主。
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 不要等到日頭、光明、月亮、星宿變為黑暗，雨後雲彩反回，
`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 看守房屋的發顫，有力的屈身，推磨的稀少就止息，從窗戶往外看的都昏暗；
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 街門關閉，推磨的響聲微小，雀鳥一叫，人就起來，唱歌的女子也都衰微。
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 人怕高處，路上有驚慌，杏樹開花，蚱蜢成為重擔，人所願的也都廢掉；因為人歸他永遠的家，弔喪的在街上往來。
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 銀鍊折斷，金罐破裂，瓶子在泉旁損壞，水輪在井口破爛，
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 塵土仍歸於地，靈仍歸於賜靈的上帝。
and dust turne ayen in to his erthe, wherof it was, and the spirit turne ayen to God, that yaf it.
8 傳道者說：「虛空的虛空，凡事都是虛空。」
The vanyte of vanytees, seide Ecclesiastes, the vanyte of vanytees, and alle thingis ben vanyte.
9 再者，傳道者因有智慧，仍將知識教訓眾人；又默想，又考查，又陳說許多箴言。
And whanne Ecclesiastes was moost wijs, he tauyte the puple, and he telde out the thingis whiche he dide,
10 傳道者專心尋求可喜悅的言語，是憑正直寫的誠實話。
and he souyte out wisdom, and made many parablis; he souyte profitable wordis, and he wroot moost riytful wordis, and ful of treuthe.
11 智慧人的言語好像刺棍；會中之師的言語又像釘穩的釘子，都是一個牧者所賜的。
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 我兒，還有一層，你當受勸戒：著書多，沒有窮盡；讀書多，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 這些事都已聽見了，總意就是：敬畏上帝，謹守他的誡命，這是人所當盡的本分。
Alle we here togydere the ende of spekyng. Drede thou God, and kepe hise heestis; `that is to seie, ech man.
14 因為人所做的事，連一切隱藏的事，無論是善是惡，上帝都必審問。
God schal brynge alle thingis in to dom, that ben don; for ech thing don bi errour, whether it be good, ether yuel.
