Ecclesiastes 11
1 Cast thy bread vpon the waters: for after many daies thou shalt finde it.
Sende thi breed on watris passynge forth, for aftir many tymes thou schalt fynde it.
2 Giue a portion to seuen, and also to eight: for thou knowest not what euill shalbe vpon ye earth.
Yyue thou partis seuene, and also eiyte; for thou woost not, what yuel schal come on erthe.
3 If the clouds be full, they wil powre forth raine vpon the earth: and if the tree doe fall toward the South, or toward the North, in the place that the tree falleth, there it shalbe.
If cloudis ben filled, tho schulen schede out reyn on the erthe; if a tre fallith doun to the south, ether to the north, in what euer place it fallith doun, there it schal be.
4 He that obserueth ye winde, shall not sow, and he that regardeth the cloudes, shall not reape.
He that aspieth the wynd, sowith not; and he that biholdith the cloudis, schal neuere repe.
5 As thou knowest not which is ye way of the spirit, nor how the bones doe growe in the wombe of her that is with child: so thou knowest not the worke of God that worketh all.
As thou knowist not, which is the weye of the spirit, and bi what resoun boonys ben ioyned togidere in the wombe of a womman with childe, so thou knowist not the werkis of God, which is makere of alle thingis.
6 In the morning sowe thy seede, and in the euening let not thine hand rest: for thou knowest not whither shall prosper, this or that, or whether both shalbe a like good.
Eerli sowe thi seed, and thin hond ceesse not in the euentid; for thou woost not, what schal come forth more, this ethir that; and if euer eithir cometh forth togidere, it schal be the betere.
7 Surely the light is a pleasant thing: and it is a good thing to the eyes to see the sunne.
The liyt is sweet, and delitable to the iyen to se the sunne.
8 Though a man liue many yeeres, and in them all he reioyce, yet hee shall remember the daies of darkenesse, because they are manie, all that commeth is vanitie.
If a man lyueth many yeeris, and is glad in alle these, he owith to haue mynde of derk tyme, and of many daies; and whanne tho schulen come, thingis passid schulen be repreued of vanyte.
9 Reioyce, O yong man, in thy youth, and let thine heart cheere thee in the dayes of thy youth: and walke in the waies of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but knowe that for all these things, God wil bring thee to iudgement.
Therfor, thou yonge man, be glad in thi yongthe, and thin herte be in good in the daies of thi yongthe, and go thou in the weies of thin herte, and in the biholdyng of thin iyen; and wite thou, that for alle these thingis God shal brynge thee in to doom.
10 Therefore take away griefe out of thine heart, and cause euil to depart from thy flesh: for childehood and youth are vanitie.
Do thou awei ire fro thin herte, and remoue thou malice fro thi fleisch; for whi yongthe and lust ben veyne thingis.
