傳道書 5
1 你到上帝的殿要謹慎腳步；因為近前聽，勝過愚昧人獻祭，他們本不知道所做的是惡。
Thou that entrist in to the hous of God, kepe thi foot, and neiye thou for to here; for whi myche betere is obedience than the sacrifices of foolis, that witen not what yuel thei don.
2 你在上帝面前不可冒失開口，也不可心急發言；因為上帝在天上，你在地下，所以你的言語要寡少。
Speke thou not ony thing folily, nether thin herte be swift to brynge forth a word bifore God; for God is in heuene, and thou art on erthe, therfor thi wordis be fewe.
3 事務多，就令人做夢；言語多，就顯出愚昧。
Dremes suen many bisynessis, and foli schal be foundun in many wordis.
4 你向上帝許願，償還不可遲延，因他不喜悅愚昧人，所以你許的願應當償還。
If thou hast avowid ony thing to God, tarie thou not to yelde; for an vnfeithful and fonned biheest displesith hym; but `yelde thou what euer thing thou hast avowid;
5 你許願不還，不如不許。
and it is myche betere to make not a vowe, than aftir a vowe to yelde not biheestis.
6 不可任你的口使肉體犯罪，也不可在祭司面前說是錯許了。為何使上帝因你的聲音發怒，敗壞你手所做的呢？
Yyue thou not thi mouth, that thou make thi fleisch to do synne; nether seie thou bifor an aungel, No puruyaunce is; lest perauenture the Lord be wrooth on thi wordis, and distruye alle the werkis of thin hondis.
7 多夢和多言，其中多有虛幻，你只要敬畏上帝。
Where ben many dremes, ben ful many vanytees, and wordis with out noumbre; but drede thou God.
8 你若在一省之中見窮人受欺壓，並奪去公義公平的事，不要因此詫異；因有一位高過居高位的鑒察，在他們以上還有更高的。
If thou seest false chalengis of nedi men, and violent domes, and that riytfulnesse is distried in the prouynce, wondre thou not on this doyng; for another is hiyere than an hiy man, and also othere men ben more hiye aboue these men;
9 況且地的益處歸眾人，就是君王也受田地的供應。
and ferthermore the kyng of al erthe comaundith to the seruaunt.
10 貪愛銀子的，不因得銀子知足；貪愛豐富的，也不因得利益知足。這也是虛空。
An auerouse man schal not be fillid of monei; and he that loueth richessis schal not take fruytis of tho; and therfor this is vanyte.
11 貨物增添，吃的人也增添，物主得甚麼益處呢？不過眼看而已！
Where ben many richessis, also many men ben, that eten tho; and what profitith it to the haldere, no but that he seeth richessis with hise iyen?
12 勞碌的人不拘吃多吃少，睡得香甜；富足人的豐滿卻不容他睡覺。
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.
13 我見日光之下有一宗大禍患，就是財主積存資財，反害自己。
Also anothir sijknesse is ful yuel, which Y siy vndur the sunne; richessis ben kept in to the yuel of her lord.
14 因遭遇禍患，這些資財就消滅；那人若生了兒子，手裏也一無所有。
For thei perischen in the worste turment; he gendride a sone, that schal be in souereyn nedynesse.
15 他怎樣從母胎赤身而來，也必照樣赤身而去；他所勞碌得來的，手中分毫不能帶去。
As he yede nakid out of his modris wombe, so he schal turne ayen; and he schal take awei with hym no thing of his trauel.
16 他來的情形怎樣，他去的情形也怎樣。這也是一宗大禍患。他為風勞碌有甚麼益處呢？
Outirli it is a wretchid sijknesse; as he cam, so he schal turne ayen. What therfor profitith it to hym, that he trauelide in to the wynde?
17 並且他終身在黑暗中吃喝，多有煩惱，又有病患嘔氣。
In alle the daies of his lijf he eet in derknessis, and in many bisinessis, and in nedynesse, and sorewe.
18 我所見為善為美的，就是人在上帝賜他一生的日子吃喝，享受日光之下勞碌得來的好處，因為這是他的分。
Therfor this semyde good to me, that a man ete, and drynke, and vse gladnesse of his trauel, in which he trauelide vndir the sunne, in the noumbre of daies of his lijf, which God yaf to hym; and this is his part.
19 上帝賜人資財豐富，使他能以吃用，能取自己的分，在他勞碌中喜樂，這乃是上帝的恩賜。
And to ech man, to whom God yaf richessis, and catel, and yaf power to hym to ete of tho, and to vse his part, and to be glad of his trauel; this is the yifte of God.
20 他不多思念自己一生的年日，因為上帝應他的心使他喜樂。
For he schal not bithenke miche on the daies of his lijf, for God ocupieth his herte with delicis.
