Ecclesiastes 3
1 Alle thingis han tyme, and alle thingis vndur sunne passen bi her spaces.
For, every thing, there is a season, —and a time for every pursuit, under the heavens: —
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 what is planted;
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 up;
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 wail, and a time to dance for joy;
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 heap up stones, —A time to embrace, and a time to be far from loving embrace;
6 Tyme to wynne, and tyme to leese; tyme to kepe, and tyme to caste awei.
A time to seek, and a time to give up as lost, —A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 Tyme to kitte, and tyme to sewe togidere; tyme to be stille, and tyme to speke.
A time to rend, and a time to sew, —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 of war, and a time of peace.
9 What hath a man more of his trauel?
What profit hath he that worketh, in that wherein, himself, hath toiled?
10 I siy the turment, which God yaf to the sones of men, that thei be occupied therynne.
I looked at the employment which God hath given to the sons of men, to work therein:
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.
Everything, hath he made beautiful in its own time, —also, intelligence, hath he put in their heart, without which men could not find out the work which God hath wrought, from the beginning even unto the 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 no blessedness in them, —save to be glad, and to do well with one’s life.
13 For whi ech man that etith and drinkith, and seeth good of his trauel; this is the yifte of God.
Though indeed, that any man should eat and drink, and see blessedness, in all his toil, it 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, whatsoever God doeth, the same, shall be age-abiding, unto it, there is nothing to add, and, from it, there is nothing to take away, —and, God, hath done it, that men should stand in awe before him.
15 That thing that is maad, dwellith perfitli; tho thingis that schulen come, weren bifore; and God restorith that, that is goon.
That which was, already, had been, and, that which shall be, already, shall have been, —but, God, seeketh that which hath been chased away.
16 I siy vndur sunne vnfeithfulnesse in the place of doom; and wickidnesse in the place of riytfulnesse.
Then, again, I saw under the sun, the place of justice, that there was lawlessness, and, the place of righteousness, that there was lawlessness.
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.
Said, I, in my heart, Both the righteous and the lawless, will God judge, —for [there will be] a time for every pursuit, and concerning every work—there.
18 I seide in myn herte of the sones of men, that God schulde preue hem, and schewe that thei ben lijk vnresonable beestis.
Said, I, in my heart, as concerning the sons of men, That God was minded to prove them, —and that they might see, that they were beasts, of themselves.
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, as regardeth the destiny of the sons of men and the destiny of beasts, one fate, have they, as dieth the one, so, dieth the other, and, one spirit, have they all, —and, the pre-eminence of man over beast, is nothing, for, all, were vanity:
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 unto one place, —all, came from the dust, and all, return to the dust.
21 Who knowith, if the spirit of the sones of Adam stieth vpward, and if the spirit of beestis goith dounward?
Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of men, whether it, ascendeth, above, —or the spirit of the beast, whether it, descendeth, below, to 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?
So I saw, that there was nothing better than that a man should be glad in his works, for, that, is his portion, —for who can bring him in, to look upon that which shall be after him?
