Ecclesiastes 3
1 Alle thingis han tyme, and alle thingis vndur sunne passen bi her spaces.
To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:
2 Tyme of birthe, and time of diyng; tyme to plaunte, and tyme to drawe vp that that is plauntid.
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 Tyme to sle, and tyme to make hool; tyme to distrie, and tyme to bilde.
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build,
4 Tyme to wepe, and tyme to leiye; tyme to biweile, and tyme to daunse.
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 Tyme to scatere stoonys, and tyme to gadere togidere; tyme to colle, and tyme to be fer fro collyngis.
a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 Tyme to wynne, and tyme to leese; tyme to kepe, and tyme to caste awei.
a time to search and a time to count as lost, a time to keep and a time to discard,
7 Tyme to kitte, and tyme to sewe togidere; tyme to be stille, and tyme to speke.
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 Tyme of loue, and tyme of hatrede; tyme of batel, and tyme of pees.
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What hath a man more of his trauel?
What does the worker gain from his toil?
10 I siy the turment, which God yaf to the sones of men, that thei be occupied therynne.
I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them.
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.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.
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.
I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good while they live,
13 For whi ech man that etith and drinkith, and seeth good of his trauel; this is the yifte of God.
and also that every man should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor—this is the gift 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.
I know that everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God does it so that they should fear Him.
15 That thing that is maad, dwellith perfitli; tho thingis that schulen come, weren bifore; and God restorith that, that is goon.
What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.
16 I siy vndur sunne vnfeithfulnesse in the place of doom; and wickidnesse in the place of riytfulnesse.
Furthermore, I saw under the sun that in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.
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.
I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every deed.”
18 I seide in myn herte of the sones of men, that God schulde preue hem, and schewe that thei ben lijk vnresonable beestis.
I said to myself, “As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.”
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.
For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile.
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.
All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.
21 Who knowith, if the spirit of the sones of Adam stieth vpward, and if the spirit of beestis goith dounward?
Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth?
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?
I have seen that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will come after him?
