Ecclesiastes 7
1 Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
A good name is betere than preciouse oynementis; and the dai of deth is betere than the dai of birthe.
2 Better to go to a house of mourning, Than to go to a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living lays [it] to his heart.
It is betere to go to the hous of morenyng, than to the hous of a feeste; for in that hous `of morenyng the ende of alle men is monestid, and a man lyuynge thenkith, what is to comynge.
3 Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becomes better.
Yre is betere than leiyyng; for the soule of a trespassour is amendid bi the heuynesse of cheer.
4 The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
The herte of wise men is where sorewe is; and the herte of foolis is where gladnesse is.
5 Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
It is betere to be repreued of a wijs man, than to be disseyued bi the flateryng of foolis;
6 For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
for as the sown of thornes brennynge vndur a pot, so is the leiyyng of a fool. But also this is vanyte.
7 Surely oppression makes the wise mad, And a gift destroys the heart.
Fals chalenge disturblith a wijs man, and it schal leese the strengthe of his herte.
8 Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
Forsothe the ende of preyer is betere than the bigynnyng. A pacient man is betere than a proud man.
9 Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools rests.
Be thou not swift to be wrooth; for ire restith in the bosum of a fool.
10 Do not say, “What was it, That the former days were better than these?” For you have not asked wisely of this.
Seie thou not, What gessist thou is of cause, that the formere tymes weren betere than ben now? for whi siche axyng is fonned.
11 Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
Forsothe wisdom with richessis is more profitable, and profitith more to men seynge the sunne.
12 For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defense, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She revives her possessors.
For as wisdom defendith, so money defendith; but lernyng and wisdom hath this more, that tho yyuen lijf to `her weldere.
13 See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
Biholde thou the werkis of God, that no man may amende hym, whom God hath dispisid.
14 In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of calamity consider: God has also made this alongside of that, To the intent that man does not find anything after him.
In a good day vse thou goodis, and bifore eschewe thou an yuel day; for God made so this dai as that dai, that a man fynde not iust playnyngis ayens hym.
15 The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrongdoer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
Also Y siy these thingis in the daies of my natyuyte; a iust man perischith in his riytfulnesse, and a wickid man lyueth myche tyme in his malice.
16 Do not be over-righteous, nor show yourself too wise, why are you desolate?
Nyle thou be iust myche, nether vndurstonde thou more than is nedeful; lest thou be astonyed.
17 Do not do much wrong, neither be a fool, why do you die within your time?
Do thou not wickidli myche, and nyle thou be a fool; lest thou die in a tyme not thin.
18 [It is] good that you lay hold on this, and also, do not withdraw your hand from that, for whoever is fearing God goes out with them all.
It is good, that thou susteyne a iust man; but also withdrawe thou not thin hond from hym; for he that dredith God, is not necligent of ony thing.
19 The wisdom gives strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
Wisdom hath coumfortid a wise man, ouer ten pryncis of a citee.
20 Because there is not a righteous man on earth that does good and does not sin.
Forsothe no iust man is in erthe, that doith good, and synneth not.
21 Also to all the words that they speak do not give your heart, that you do not hear your servant reviling you.
But also yyue thou not thin herte to alle wordis, that ben seid; lest perauenture thou here thi seruaunt cursynge thee;
22 For many times also has your heart known that you yourself have also reviled others.
for thi conscience woot, that also thou hast cursid ofte othere men.
23 All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, “I am wise,” and it [is] far from me.
I asayede alle thingis in wisdom; Y seide, I schal be maad wijs, and it yede awei ferthere fro me, myche more than it was;
24 Far off [is] that which has been, and deep, deep, who finds it?
and the depthe is hiy, who schal fynde it?
25 I have turned around, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and the madness of foolishness.
I cumpasside alle thingis in my soule, to kunne, and biholde, and seke wisdom and resoun, and to knowe the wickidnesse of a fool, and the errour of vnprudent men.
26 And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapes from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
And Y foond a womman bitterere than deth, which is the snare of hunteris, and hir herte is a net, and hir hondis ben boondis; he that plesith God schal ascape hir, but he that is a synnere, schal be takun of hir.
27 See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
Lo! Y foond this, seide Ecclesiastes, oon and other, that Y schulde fynde resoun, which my soule sekith yit;
28 (that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.
and Y foond not. I foond o man of a thousynde; Y foond not a womman of alle.
29 See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they have sought out many inventions.
I foond this oonli, that God made a man riytful; and he medlide hym silf with questiouns with out noumbre. Who is siche as a wijs man? and who knowith the expownyng of a word?
