Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give out an evil smell; more valued is a little wisdom than the great glory of the foolish.
Flies `that dien, leesen the swetnesse of oynement. Litil foli at a tyme is preciousere than wisdom and glorie.
2 The heart of the wise man goes in the right direction; but the heart of a foolish man in the wrong.
The herte of a wijs man is in his riyt side; and the herte of a fool is in his left side.
3 And when the foolish man is walking in the way, he has no sense and lets everyone see that he is foolish.
But also a fool goynge in the weie, whanne he is vnwijs, gessith alle men foolis.
4 If the wrath of the ruler is against you, keep in your place; in him who keeps quiet even great sins may be overlooked.
If the spirit of hym, that hath power, stieth on thee, forsake thou not thi place; for heeling schal make gretteste synnes to ceesse.
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, like an error which comes by chance from a ruler:
An yuel is, which Y siy vndur the sunne, and goith out as bi errour fro the face of the prince; a fool set in hiy dignyte,
6 The foolish are placed in high positions, but men of wealth are kept low.
and riche men sitte bynethe.
7 I have seen servants on horses, and rulers walking on the earth as servants.
I siy seruauntis on horsis, and princes as seruauntis goynge on the erthe.
8 He who makes a hole for others will himself go into it, and for him who makes a hole through a wall the bite of a snake will be a punishment.
He that diggith a diche, schal falle in to it; and an eddre schal bite hym, that distrieth an hegge.
9 He who gets out stones from the earth will be damaged by them, and in the cutting of wood there is danger.
He that berith ouer stoonys, schal be turmentid in tho; and he that kittith trees, schal be woundid of tho.
10 If the iron has no edge, and he does not make it sharp, then he has to put out more strength; but wisdom makes things go well.
If yrun is foldid ayen, and this is not as bifore, but is maad blunt, it schal be maad scharp with myche trauel; and wisdom schal sue aftir bisynesse.
11 If a snake gives a bite before the word of power is said, then there is no longer any use in the word of power.
If a serpent bitith, it bitith in silence; he that bacbitith priueli, hath no thing lesse than it.
12 The words of a wise man's mouth are sweet to all, but the lips of a foolish man are his destruction.
The wordis of the mouth of a wijs man is grace; and the lippis of an vnwijs man schulen caste hym doun.
13 The first words of his mouth are foolish, and the end of his talk is evil crime.
The bigynnyng of hise wordis is foli; and the laste thing of his mouth is the worste errour.
14 The foolish are full of words; man has no knowledge of what will be; and who is able to say what will be after him?
A fool multiplieth wordis; a man noot, what was bifore hym, and who mai schewe to hym that, that schal come aftir hym?
15 The work of the foolish will be a weariness to him, because he has no knowledge of the way to the town.
The trauel of foolis shal turment hem, that kunnen not go in to the citee.
16 Unhappy is the land whose king is a boy, and whose rulers are feasting in the morning.
Lond, wo to thee, whos kyng is a child, and whose princes eten eerli.
17 Happy is the land whose ruler is of noble birth, and whose chiefs take food at the right time, for strength and not for feasting.
Blessid is the lond, whos kyng is noble; and whose princis eten in her tyme, to susteyne the kynde, and not to waste.
18 When no work is done the roof goes in, and when the hands do nothing water comes into the house.
The hiynesse of housis schal be maad low in slouthis; and the hous schal droppe in the feblenesse of hondis.
19 A feast is for laughing, and wine makes glad the heart; but by the one and the other money is wasted.
In leiyyng thei disposen breed and wyn, that thei drynkynge ete largeli; and alle thingis obeien to monei.
20 Say not a curse against the king, even in your thoughts; and even secretly say not a curse against the man of wealth; because a bird of the air will take the voice, and that which has wings will give news of it.
In thi thouyt bacbite thou not the kyng, and in the priuete of thi bed, curse thou not a riche man; for the briddis of heuene schulen bere thi vois, and he that hath pennys, schal telle the sentence.
