Ecclesiastes 11
1 Sende thi breed on watris passynge forth, for aftir many tymes thou schalt fynde it.
Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days.
2 Yyue thou partis seuene, and also eiyte; for thou woost not, what yuel schal come on erthe.
Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don’t know what evil will be on the earth.
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 of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls towards the south, or towards the north, in the place where the tree falls, there shall it be.
4 He that aspieth the wynd, sowith not; and he that biholdith the cloudis, schal neuere repe.
He who observes the wind won’t sow; and he who regards the clouds won’t 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 don’t know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you don’t know the work of God who does all.
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.
In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.
7 The liyt is sweet, and delitable to the iyen to se the sunne.
Truly the light is sweet, and it is a pleasant thing for 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.
Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.
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, young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and 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 into judgement.
10 Do thou awei ire fro thin herte, and remoue thou malice fro thi fleisch; for whi yongthe and lust ben veyne thingis.
Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
