Ecclesiastes 3
1 To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens:
Alle thingis han tyme, and alle thingis vndur sunne passen bi her spaces.
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
Tyme of birthe, and time of diyng; tyme to plaunte, and tyme to drawe vp that that is plauntid.
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up;
Tyme to sle, and tyme to make hool; tyme to distrie, and tyme to bilde.
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
Tyme to wepe, and tyme to leiye; tyme to biweile, and tyme to daunse.
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Tyme to scatere stoonys, and tyme to gadere togidere; tyme to colle, and tyme to be fer fro collyngis.
6 A time to seek, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
Tyme to wynne, and tyme to leese; tyme to kepe, and tyme to caste awei.
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
Tyme to kitte, and tyme to sewe togidere; tyme to be stille, and tyme to speke.
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace.
Tyme of loue, and tyme of hatrede; tyme of batel, and tyme of pees.
9 What profit hath he that worketh from that wherein he laboureth?
What hath a man more of his trauel?
10 I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of men to toil in.
I siy the turment, which God yaf to the sones of men, that thei be occupied therynne.
11 He hath made everything beautiful in its time; also he hath set the world in their heart, so that man findeth not out from the beginning to the end the work that God doeth.
God made alle thingis good in her tyme, and yaf the world to disputyng of hem, that a man fynde not the werk which God hath wrouyt fro the bigynnyng `til in to the ende.
12 I know that there is nothing good for them but to rejoice and to do well in their life;
And Y knew that no thing was betere `to a man, `no but to be glad, and to do good werkis in his lijf.
13 yea also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labour, it is the gift of God.
For whi ech man that etith and drinkith, and seeth good of his trauel; this is the yifte of God.
14 I know that whatever God doeth, it shall be for ever; there is nothing to be added to it, nor anything to be taken from it; and God doeth [it], that [men] should fear before him.
I haue lerned that alle werkis, whiche God made, lasten stidfastli `til in to with outen ende; we moun not adde ony thing to tho, nether take awei fro tho thingis, whiche God made, that he be dred.
15 That which is was long ago, and that which is to be hath already been; and God bringeth back again that which is past.
That thing that is maad, dwellith perfitli; tho thingis that schulen come, weren bifore; and God restorith that, that is goon.
16 And moreover I saw under the sun, that in the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there.
I siy vndur sunne vnfeithfulnesse in the place of doom; and wickidnesse in the place of riytfulnesse.
17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
And Y seide in myn herte, The Lord schal deme a iust man, and an vnfeithful man; and the tyme of ech thing schal be thanne.
18 I said in my heart, It is thus with the children of men, that God may prove them, and that they should see that they themselves are but beasts.
I seide in myn herte of the sones of men, that God schulde preue hem, and schewe that thei ben lijk vnresonable beestis.
19 For what befalleth the children of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other, and they have all one breath; and man hath no pre-eminence above the beast: for all is vanity.
Therfor oon is the perisching of man and of beestis, and euene condicioun is of euer eithir; as a man dieth, `so and tho beestis dien; alle beestis brethen in lijk maner, and a man hath no thing more than a beeste.
20 All go unto one place: all are of the dust, and all return to dust.
Alle thingis ben suget to vanyte, and alle thingis goen to o place; tho ben maad of erthe, and tho turnen ayen togidere in to erthe.
21 Who knoweth the spirit of the children of men? Doth it go upwards? and the spirit of the beasts, doth it go downwards to the earth?
Who knowith, if the spirit of the sones of Adam stieth vpward, and if the spirit of beestis goith dounward?
22 And I have seen that there is nothing better than that man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion; for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
And Y perseyuede that no thing is betere, than that a man be glad in his werk, and that this be his part; for who schal brynge hym, that he knowe thingis that schulen come after hym?
