Ecclesiastes 4
1 Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter.
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 So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive.
And Y preiside more deed men than lyuynge men;
3 But better than both is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.
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 I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
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 The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.
A fool foldith togidere hise hondis, and etith hise fleischis,
6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.
and seith, Betere is an handful with reste, than euer either hondful with trauel and turment of soule.
7 Again, I saw futility under the sun.
I bihelde and foond also another vanytee vndir the sunne;
8 There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.
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 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.
Therfor it is betere, that tweyne be togidere than oon; for thei han profite of her felouschipe.
10 For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up!
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 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone?
And if tweyne slepen, thei schulen be nurschid togidere; hou schal oon be maad hoot?
12 And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
And if ony man hath maistri ayens oon, tweyne ayen stonden hym; a threfolde corde is brokun of hard.
13 Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning.
A pore man and wijs is betere than an eld kyng and fool, that kan not bifore se in to tyme to comynge.
14 For the youth has come from the prison to the kingship, though he was born poor in his own kingdom.
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 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed this second one, the youth who succeeded the king.
I siy alle men lyuynge that goen vndur the sunne, with the secounde yong wexynge man, that schal rise for hym.
16 There is no limit to all the people who were before them. Yet the successor will not be celebrated by those who come even later. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
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.
