< Ecclesiastes 3 >
1 Alle thingis han tyme, and alle thingis vndur sunne passen bi her spaces.
2 Tyme of birthe, and time of diyng; tyme to plaunte, and tyme to drawe vp that that is plauntid.
3 Tyme to sle, and tyme to make hool; tyme to distrie, and tyme to bilde.
4 Tyme to wepe, and tyme to leiye; tyme to biweile, and tyme to daunse.
5 Tyme to scatere stoonys, and tyme to gadere togidere; tyme to colle, and tyme to be fer fro collyngis.
6 Tyme to wynne, and tyme to leese; tyme to kepe, and tyme to caste awei.
7 Tyme to kitte, and tyme to sewe togidere; tyme to be stille, and tyme to speke.
8 Tyme of loue, and tyme of hatrede; tyme of batel, and tyme of pees.
9 What hath a man more of his trauel?
10 I siy the turment, which God yaf to the sones of men, that thei be occupied therynne.
11 God made alle thingis good in her tyme, and yaf the world to disputyng of hem, that a man fynde not the werk which God hath wrouyt fro the bigynnyng `til in to the ende.
12 And Y knew that no thing was betere `to a man, `no but to be glad, and to do good werkis in his lijf.
13 For whi ech man that etith and drinkith, and seeth good of his trauel; this is the yifte of God.
14 I haue lerned that alle werkis, whiche God made, lasten stidfastli `til in to with outen ende; we moun not adde ony thing to tho, nether take awei fro tho thingis, whiche God made, that he be dred.
15 That thing that is maad, dwellith perfitli; tho thingis that schulen come, weren bifore; and God restorith that, that is goon.
16 I siy vndur sunne vnfeithfulnesse in the place of doom; and wickidnesse in the place of riytfulnesse.
17 And Y seide in myn herte, The Lord schal deme a iust man, and an vnfeithful man; and the tyme of ech thing schal be thanne.
18 I seide in myn herte of the sones of men, that God schulde preue hem, and schewe that thei ben lijk vnresonable beestis.
19 Therfor oon is the perisching of man and of beestis, and euene condicioun is of euer eithir; as a man dieth, `so and tho beestis dien; alle beestis brethen in lijk maner, and a man hath no thing more than a beeste.
20 Alle thingis ben suget to vanyte, and alle thingis goen to o place; tho ben maad of erthe, and tho turnen ayen togidere in to erthe.
21 Who knowith, if the spirit of the sones of Adam stieth vpward, and if the spirit of beestis goith dounward?
22 And Y perseyuede that no thing is betere, than that a man be glad in his werk, and that this be his part; for who schal brynge hym, that he knowe thingis that schulen come after hym?
