Ecclesiastes 11

1 Sende thi breed on watris passynge forth, for aftir many tymes thou schalt fynde it.

Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.

2 Yyue thou partis seuene, and also eiyte; for thou woost not, what yuel schal come on erthe.

Divide your portion among seven, or even eight, for you do not know what disaster may befall the land.

3 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.

If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain upon the earth; whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie.

4 He that aspieth the wynd, sowith not; and he that biholdith the cloudis, schal neuere repe.

He who watches the wind will fail to sow, and he who observes the clouds will fail to reap.

5 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.

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

6 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.

Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper.

7 The liyt is sweet, and delitable to the iyen to se the sunne.

Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

8 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.

So if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is futile.

9 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.

Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

10 Do thou awei ire fro thin herte, and remoue thou malice fro thi fleisch; for whi yongthe and lust ben veyne thingis.

So banish sorrow from your heart, and cast off pain from your body, for youth and vigor are fleeting.