Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dead flies can make perfumed oil smell bad. Likewise a little foolishness outweighs great wisdom and honor.
Flies `that dien, leesen the swetnesse of oynement. Litil foli at a tyme is preciousere than wisdom and glorie.
2 The mind of the wise person chooses the right side, but the mind of the fool goes left!
The herte of a wijs man is in his riyt side; and the herte of a fool is in his left side.
3 Just the way that fools walk down the road shows they have no sense, making clear to everyone their stupidity.
But also a fool goynge in the weie, whanne he is vnwijs, gessith alle men foolis.
4 If your superior gets angry with you, don't give up and leave. If you stay calm even bad mistakes can be resolved.
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 I also realized there's another evil here on earth: rulers make a big mistake
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 when they put fools in high positions, while those who are richly qualified are put in low positions.
and riche men sitte bynethe.
7 I've seen slaves riding on horseback, while princes walk on the ground like slaves.
I siy seruauntis on horsis, and princes as seruauntis goynge on the erthe.
8 If you dig a pit, you could fall in. If you knock down a wall, you could be bitten by a snake.
He that diggith a diche, schal falle in to it; and an eddre schal bite hym, that distrieth an hegge.
9 If you quarry stone, you could be injured. If you split logs, you could be hurt.
He that berith ouer stoonys, schal be turmentid in tho; and he that kittith trees, schal be woundid of tho.
10 If your ax is blunt and you don't sharpen it, you have to use a lot more force. Conclusion: being wise brings good results.
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 the snake bites the snake charmer before it's charmed, there's no benefit to the snake charmer!
If a serpent bitith, it bitith in silence; he that bacbitith priueli, hath no thing lesse than it.
12 Wise words are beneficial, but fools destroy themselves by what they say.
The wordis of the mouth of a wijs man is grace; and the lippis of an vnwijs man schulen caste hym doun.
13 Fools begin by saying foolish things, and end up talking evil nonsense.
The bigynnyng of hise wordis is foli; and the laste thing of his mouth is the worste errour.
14 Fools talk on and on, however no one knows what's going to happen, so who can say what the future holds?
A fool multiplieth wordis; a man noot, what was bifore hym, and who mai schewe to hym that, that schal come aftir hym?
15 Work makes fools so worn out they can't achieve anything.
The trauel of foolis shal turment hem, that kunnen not go in to the citee.
16 You're in trouble if the king of your country is young, and if your leaders are busy feasting from early morning.
Lond, wo to thee, whos kyng is a child, and whose princes eten eerli.
17 You're fortunate if your king comes from a noble family, and your leaders feast at the proper time to give themselves energy, and not to get drunk.
Blessid is the lond, whos kyng is noble; and whose princis eten in her tyme, to susteyne the kynde, and not to waste.
18 Lazy people let their roofs collapse; idle people don't repair their leaky houses.
The hiynesse of housis schal be maad low in slouthis; and the hous schal droppe in the feblenesse of hondis.
19 A good meal brings pleasure; wine makes life pleasant; money provides for all needs.
In leiyyng thei disposen breed and wyn, that thei drynkynge ete largeli; and alle thingis obeien to monei.
20 Don't talk badly about the king, not even in your thoughts. Don't talk badly about leaders, even in the privacy of your bedroom. A bird may hear what you say and fly away to tell them.
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.
