Ecclesiastes 4
1 I turnede me to othere thingis, and Y siy fals chalengis, that ben don vndur the sunne, and the teeris of innocentis, and no man coumfortour; and that thei forsakun of the help of alle men, moun not ayenstonde the violence of hem.
Then again, I, considered all the oppressive deeds which were done under the sun, —and lo! the tears of the oppressed, and they have no comforter, and, on the side of their oppressing, is power, and they have no comforter.
2 And Y preiside more deed men than lyuynge men;
So, I, pronounced happy the dead, who were, already, dead, —more than the living, who were living, still;
3 and Y demyde hym, that was not borun yit, and siy not the yuels that ben don vndur the sunne, to be blisfulere than euer eithir.
and, as better than both, him who had not yet come into being, —who had not seen the vexatious work, which was done under the sun.
4 Eft Y bihelde alle the trauelis of men, and bisynesses; and Y perseyuede that tho ben opyn to the enuye of neiybore; and therfor in this is vanyte, and superflu bisynesse.
Then saw, I, all the toil and all the skill of the work, that, for this, a man was envied of his neighbour, —even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
5 A fool foldith togidere hise hondis, and etith hise fleischis,
The dullard, claspeth his hands, and consumeth his own flesh.
6 and seith, Betere is an handful with reste, than euer either hondful with trauel and turment of soule.
Better a handful—with quietness, —than both hands, full—with toil, and feeding on wind.
7 I bihelde and foond also another vanytee vndir the sunne;
Then again, I, looked at a vain thing under the sun: —
8 oon is, and he hath not a secounde; not a sone, not a brother; and netheles he ceesith not for to trauele, nether hise iyen ben fillid with richessis; nether he bithenkith, and seith, To whom trauele Y, and disseyue my soule in goodis? In this also is vanyte, and the worste turment.
Here is one, without a second, even son or brother, he hath none, yet is there no end to all his toil, even his eye, is not satisfied with riches, —neither [saith he] For whom, am I toiling, and letting my soul want good? Even this, was vanity, yea a vexatious employment, it was!
9 Therfor it is betere, that tweyne be togidere than oon; for thei han profite of her felouschipe.
Better are two, than one, —in that they have a good reward for their toil.
10 If oon fallith doun, he schal be vndurset of the tothere; wo to hym that is aloone, for whanne he fallith, he hath noon reisynge him.
For, if the one should fall, [the other] would raise up his companion, —but alas! for him who is alone when he falleth, with no second to raise him up!
11 And if tweyne slepen, thei schulen be nurschid togidere; hou schal oon be maad hoot?
Moreover, if two lie together, then have they warmth, —but how can, one, have warmth?
12 And if ony man hath maistri ayens oon, tweyne ayen stonden hym; a threfolde corde is brokun of hard.
And, though an enemy should prevail against one, two, might make a stand before him, —and, a threefold cord, cannot soon be broken.
13 A pore man and wijs is betere than an eld kyng and fool, that kan not bifore se in to tyme to comynge.
Better a boy poor and wise, —than a king, old and stupid, who knoweth not how to take warning any longer.
14 For sum tyme a man goith out bothe fro prysoun and chaynes to a rewme; and anothir borun in to a rewme is wastid bi nedynesse.
For, out of prison, came he forth to reign, yea, even in his own kingdom, was he born poor.
15 I siy alle men lyuynge that goen vndur the sunne, with the secounde yong wexynge man, that schal rise for hym.
I saw all the living, who were going hither and thither under the sun, —[that they were] with the boy who was to be the second, who was to stand in the other’s place: —
16 The noumbre of puple, of alle that weren bifore hym, is greet with outen mesure, and thei that schulen come aftirward, schulen not be glad in hym; but also this is vanyte and turment of the spirit.
There was no end to all the people, to all before whom he came, yet, they who should come later, would not rejoice in him, —surely, even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
