Ecclesiastes 12
1 Remember also your Creator in days of your youth, While that the evil days do not come, Nor the years have arrived, that you say, “I have no pleasure in them.”
Haue thou mynde on thi creatour in the daies of thi yongthe, bifore that the tyme of thi turment come, and the yeris of thi deth neiye, of whiche thou schalt seie, Tho plesen not me.
2 While that the sun is not darkened, and the light, And the moon, and the stars, And the thick clouds returned after the rain.
`Haue thou mynde on thi creatour, bifor that the sunne be derk, and the liyt, and sterrys, and the mone; and cloude turne ayen after reyn.
3 In the day that keepers of the house tremble, And men of strength have bowed themselves, And grinders have ceased, because they have become few. And those looking out at the windows have become dim,
Whanne the keperis of the hous schulen be mouyd, and strongeste men schulen tremble; and grynderis schulen be idel, whanne the noumbre schal be maad lesse, and seeris bi the hoolis schulen wexe derk;
4 And doors have been shut in the street. When the noise of the grinding is low, And [one] rises at the voice of the bird, And all daughters of song are bowed down.
and schulen close the doris in the street, in the lownesse of vois of a gryndere; and thei schulen rise at the vois of a brid, and alle the douytris of song schulen wexe deef.
5 Also of that which is high they are afraid, And of the low places in the way, And the almond-tree is despised, And the grasshopper has become a burden, And want is increased, For man is going to his perpetual home, And the mourners have gone around through the street.
And hiy thingis schulen drede, and schulen be aferd in the weie; an alemaunde tre schal floure, a locuste schal be maad fat, and capparis schal be distried; for a man schal go in to the hous of his euerlastyngnesse, and weileris schulen go aboute in the street.
6 While that the silver cord is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.
Haue thou mynde on thi creatour, byfore that a siluerne roop be brokun, and a goldun lace renne ayen, and a watir pot be al to-brokun on the welle, and a wheele be brokun togidere on the cisterne;
7 And the dust returns to the earth as it was, And the spirit returns to God who gave it.
and dust turne ayen in to his erthe, wherof it was, and the spirit turne ayen to God, that yaf it.
8 Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole [is] vanity.
The vanyte of vanytees, seide Ecclesiastes, the vanyte of vanytees, and alle thingis ben vanyte.
9 And further, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge, and gave ear, and sought out—he made right many allegories.
And whanne Ecclesiastes was moost wijs, he tauyte the puple, and he telde out the thingis whiche he dide,
10 The preacher sought to find out pleasing words, and [that] written [by] the upright—words of truth.
and he souyte out wisdom, and made many parablis; he souyte profitable wordis, and he wroot moost riytful wordis, and ful of treuthe.
11 Words of the wise [are] as the goads, and as nails planted [by] the masters of collections, they have been given by one Shepherd.
The wordis of wise men ben as prickis, and as nailis fastned deepe, whiche ben youun of o scheepherde bi the counsels of maistris.
12 And further, from these, my son, be warned; the making of many scrolls has no end, and much study [is] a weariness of the flesh.
My sone, seke thou no more than these; noon ende is to make many bookis, and ofte thenkyng is turment of fleisch.
13 The end of the whole matter let us hear: “Fear God, and keep His commands, for this [is] the whole of man.
Alle we here togydere the ende of spekyng. Drede thou God, and kepe hise heestis; `that is to seie, ech man.
14 For every work God brings into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or bad.”
God schal brynge alle thingis in to dom, that ben don; for ech thing don bi errour, whether it be good, ether yuel.
