Ecclesiastes 1
1 Words of a preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
The wordis of Ecclesiastes, sone of Dauid, the kyng of Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, vanity of vanities: the whole [is] vanity.
The vanyte of vanytees, seide Ecclesiastes; the vanyte of vanytees, and alle thingis ben vanite.
3 What advantage [is] to man by all his labor that he labors at under the sun?
What hath a man more of alle his trauel, bi which he traueilith vndur the sunne?
4 A generation is going, and a generation is coming, and the earth is standing for all time.
Generacioun passith awei, and generacioun cometh; but the erthe stondith with outen ende.
5 Also, the sun has risen, and the sun has gone in, and to its place panting it is rising there.
The sunne risith, and goith doun, and turneth ayen to his place;
6 Going to the south, and turning around to the north, turning around, turning around, the wind is going, and by its circuits the wind has returned.
and there it risith ayen, and cumpassith bi the south, and turneth ayen to the north. The spirit cumpassynge alle thingis goith `in cumpas, and turneth ayen in to hise cerclis.
7 All the streams are going to the sea, and the sea is not full; to a place to where the streams are going, there they are turning back to go.
Alle floodis entren in to the see, and the see fletith not ouer the markis set of God; the floodis turnen ayen to the place fro whennus tho comen forth, that tho flowe eft.
8 All these things are wearying; a man is not able to speak, the eye is not satisfied by seeing, nor is the ear filled from hearing.
Alle thingis ben hard; a man may not declare tho thingis bi word; the iye is not fillid bi siyt, nether the eere is fillid bi hering.
9 What [is] that which has been? It [is] that which is, and what [is] that which has been done? It [is] that which is done, and there is not an entirely new thing under the sun.
What is that thing that was, that that schal come? What is that thing that is maad, that that schal be maad?
10 There is a thing of which [one] says: “See this, it [is] new!” Already it has been in the ages that were before us!
No thing vndir the sunne is newe, nether ony man may seie, Lo! this thing is newe; for now it yede bifore in worldis, that weren bifore vs.
11 There is not a remembrance of former [generations]; and also of the latter that are, there is no remembrance of them with those that are at the last.
Mynde of the formere thingis is not, but sotheli nether thenkyng of tho thingis, that schulen come afterward, schal be at hem that schulen come in the last tyme.
12 I, a preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I Ecclesiastes was king of Israel in Jerusalem;
13 And I have given my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that has been done under the heavens. It [is] a sad travail God has given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.
and Y purposide in my soule to seke and enserche wiseli of alle thingis, that ben maad vndur the sunne. God yaf this werste ocupacioun to the sones of men, that thei schulden be ocupied therynne.
14 I have seen all the works that have been done under the sun, and behold, the whole [is] vanity and distress of spirit!
I siy alle thingis that ben maad vndur the sunne, and lo! alle thingis ben vanyte and turment of spirit.
15 A crooked thing [one] is not able to make straight, and a lacking thing is not able to be numbered.
Weiward men ben amendid of hard; and the noumbre of foolis is greet with outen ende.
16 I spoke with my heart, saying, “I, behold, have magnified and added wisdom above everyone who has been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart has seen wisdom and knowledge abundantly.
I spak in myn herte, and Y seide, Lo! Y am made greet, and Y passide in wisdom alle men, that weren bifore me in Jerusalem; and my soule siy many thingis wiseli, and Y lernede.
17 And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this [is] distress of spirit;
And Y yaf myn herte, that Y schulde knowe prudence and doctryn, and errours and foli. And Y knew that in these thingis also was trauel and turment of spirit;
18 for in abundance of wisdom [is] abundance of sadness, and he who adds knowledge adds pain.”
for in myche wisdom is myche indignacioun, and he that encressith kunnyng, encreessith also trauel.
