Ecclesiastes 3
1 Alle thingis han tyme, and alle thingis vndur sunne passen bi her spaces.
To everything — a season, and a time to every delight 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 bring forth, And a time to die. A time to plant, And a time to eradicate the planted.
3 Tyme to sle, and tyme to make hool; tyme to distrie, and tyme to bilde.
A time to slay, 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 mourn, And a time to skip.
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 embracing.
6 Tyme to wynne, and tyme to leese; tyme to kepe, and tyme to caste awei.
A time to seek, And a time to destroy. 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 advantage hath the doer in that which he is labouring at?
10 I siy the turment, which God yaf to the sones of men, that thei be occupied therynne.
I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.
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.
The whole He hath made beautiful in its season; also, that knowledge He hath put in their heart without which man findeth not out the work that God hath done 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 have known that there is no good for them except to rejoice and to do good during their life,
13 For whi ech man that etith and drinkith, and seeth good of his trauel; this is the yifte of God.
yea, even every man who eateth and hath drunk and seen good by all his labour, it [is] a 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 have known that all that God doth is to the age, to it nothing is to be added, and from it nothing is to be withdrawn; and God hath wrought that they do fear before Him.
15 That thing that is maad, dwellith perfitli; tho thingis that schulen come, weren bifore; and God restorith that, that is goon.
What is that which hath been? already it is, and that which [is] to be hath already been, and God requireth that which is pursued.
16 I siy vndur sunne vnfeithfulnesse in the place of doom; and wickidnesse in the place of riytfulnesse.
And again, I have seen under the sun the place of judgment — there [is] the wicked; and the place of righteousness — there [is] the wicked.
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, 'The righteous and the wicked doth God judge, for a time [is] to every matter and for 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.
I said in my heart concerning the matter of the sons of man that God might cleanse them, so as to see that they themselves [are] 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 an event [is to] the sons of man, and an event [is to] the beasts, even one event [is] to them; as the death of this, so [is] the death of that; and one spirit [is] to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole [is] 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.
The whole are going unto one place, the whole have been from the dust, and the whole are turning back unto 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 man that is going up on high, and the spirit of the beast that is going down 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?
And I have seen that there is nothing better than that man rejoice in his works, for it [is] his portion; for who doth bring him in to look on that which is after him?
