Ecclesiastes 2
1 Therfor Y seide in myn hertez, Y schal go, and Y schal flowe in delicis, and Y schal vse goodis; and Y siy also that this was vanyte.
I said I in heart my come! please let me put to [the] test you with pleasure and look on good and there! also it [was] futility.
2 And leiyyng Y arrettide errour, and Y seide to ioye, What art thou disseyued in veyn?
Of laughter I said [it is] folly and of pleasure what? this [is it] doing.
3 I thouyte in myn herte to withdrawe my fleisch fro wyn, that Y schulde lede ouer my soule to wisdom, and that Y schulde eschewe foli, til Y schulde se, what were profitable to the sones of men; in which dede the noumbre of daies of her lijf vndur the sunne is nedeful.
I searched in heart my to gratify with wine flesh my and heart my [was] guiding with wisdom and to take hold on folly until that I saw where? this [is] good for [the] children of humankind which they will do under the heavens [the] number of [the] days of lives their.
4 Y magnefiede my werkis, Y bildide housis to me, and Y plauntide vynes; Y made yerdis and orcherdis,
I made great works my I built for myself houses I planted for myself vineyards.
5 and Y settide tho with the trees of al kynde;
I made for myself gardens and parks and I planted in them tree[s] of every fruit.
6 and Y made cisternes of watris, for to watre the wode of trees growynge.
I made for myself pools of water to water from them a forest sprouting of trees.
7 I hadde in possessioun seruauntis and handmaidis; and Y hadde myche meynee, and droues of grete beestis, and grete flockis of scheep, ouer alle men that weren bifore me in Jerusalem.
I acquired [male] slaves and female slaves and sons of house he belonged to me also livestock herd[s] and flock[s] [surely] a multitude belonged to me more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.
8 Y gaderide togidere to me siluer and gold, and the castels of kingis and of prouyncis; Y made to me syngeris and syngeressis, and delicis of the sones of men, and cuppis and vessels in seruyce, to helde out wynes;
I gathered for myself also silver and gold and treasure of kings and provinces I acquired for myself male singers and female singers and [the] delights of [the] children of humankind breast and breasts.
9 and Y passide in richessis alle men, that weren bifor me in Jerusalem. Also wisdom dwellide stabli with me,
And I became great and I increased more than any who was before me in Jerusalem also wisdom my it remained to me.
10 and alle thingis whiche myn iyen desiriden, Y denyede not to hem; nether Y refreynede myn herte, that ne it vside al lust, and delitide it silf in these thingis whiche I hadde maad redi; and Y demyde this my part, if Y vside my trauel.
And all that they asked eyes my not I withheld from them not I restrained heart my from any pleasure for heart my [was] joyful from all toil my and this it was reward my from all toil my.
11 And whanne Y hadde turned me to alle werkis whiche myn hondys hadden maad, and to the trauels in whiche Y hadde swet in veyn, Y siy in alle thingis vanyte and turment of the soule, and that no thing vndir sunne dwellith stabli.
And I turned I on all works my that had done hands my and on the toil that I had toiled to do and there! everything [was] futility and striving of wind and there not [was] profit under the sun.
12 I passide to biholde wisdom, errours, and foli; Y seide, What is a man, that he may sue the king, his maker?
And I turned I to consider wisdom and madness and folly for - what? [is] the person who will come after the king [that] which already people have done it.
13 And Y siy, that wisdom yede so mych bifor foli, as miche as liyt is dyuerse fro derknessis.
And I saw I that there [is] advantage of wisdom more than folly like [the] advantage of light more than darkness.
14 The iyen of a wijs man ben in his heed, a fool goith in derknessis; and Y lernede, that o perisching was of euer either.
The wise [person] eyes his [are] in head his and the fool in darkness [is] walking and I knew also I that fate one it will happen to all of them.
15 And Y seide in myn herte, If o deth schal be bothe of the fool and of me, what profitith it to me, that Y yaf more bisynesse to wisdom? And Y spak with my soule, and perseyuede, that this also was vanyte.
And I said I in heart my like [the] fate of the fool also me it will happen to me and why? have I become wise I then excessively and I said in heart my that also this [is] futility.
16 For mynde of a wijs man schal not be, in lijk maner as nether of a fool with outen ende, and tymes to comynge schulen hile alle thingis togidere with foryetyng; a lerned man dieth in lijk maner and an vnlerned man.
For there not [is] remembrance of the wise man with the fool for a long time in that already the days coming everything it has been forgotten and how! he will die the wise [person] with the fool.
17 And therfor it anoiede me of my lijf, seynge that alle thingis vndur sunne ben yuele, and that alle thingis ben vanyte and turment of the spirit.
And I hated life for [was] evil on me the work that was done under the sun for everything [is] futility and striving of wind.
18 Eft Y curside al my bisynesse, bi which Y trauelide moost studiousli vndur sunne, and Y schal haue an eir after me,
And I hated I all toil my that I [was] a laborer under the sun that I will leave it to the person who will be after me.
19 whom Y knowe not, whether he schal be wijs ether a fool; and he schal be lord in my trauels, for whiche Y swatte greetli, and was bisi; and is ony thing so veyn?
And who? [is] knowing ¿ a wise [person] will he be or? a fool so he may have power over all toil my that I have toiled and that I worked skillfully under the sun also this [is] futility.
20 Wherfor Y ceesside, and myn herte forsook for to trauele ferthere vnder sunne.
And I turned I to make despair heart my on all the toil that I have toiled under the sun.
21 For whi whanne another man trauelith in wisdom, and techyng, and bisynesse, he leeueth thingis getun to an idel man; and therfor this is vanyte, and greet yuel.
If there [was] a person who toil his [was] with wisdom and with knowledge and with skill and to a person who not he toiled in it he will give it portion his also this [is] futility and an evil great.
22 For whi what schal it profite to a man of al his trauel, and turment of spirit, bi which he was turmentid vndur sunne?
For what? [is] becoming to the person in all toil his and in [the] striving of heart his that he [was] a laborer under the sun.
23 Alle hise daies ben ful of sorewis and meschefs, and bi nyyt he restith not in soule; and whether this is not vanyte?
For all days his [are] pains and [is] vexation task his also in the night not it rests heart his also this [is] futility it.
24 Whether it is not betere to ete and drynke, and to schewe to hise soule goodis of hise trauels? and this thing is of the hond of God.
There not [is] good for person that he will eat and he will drink and he will show self his good in toil his also this I have seen I that [is] from [the] hand of God it.
25 Who schal deuoure so, and schal flowe in delicis, as Y dide?
For who? will he eat and who? will he enjoy outside from me.
26 God yaf wisdom, and kunnyng, and gladnesse to a good man in his siyt; but he yaf turment, and superflu bisynesse to a synnere, that he encreesse, and gadere togidere, and yyue to hym that plesith God; but also this is vanyte, and veyn bisynesse of soule.
For to anyone who [is] good before him he gives wisdom and knowledge and joy and to the sinner he gives a task to gather and to collect to give [it] to a [person] good before God also this [is] futility and striving of wind.
