Ecclesiastes 5
1 Thou that entrist in to the hous of God, kepe thi foot, and neiye thou for to here; for whi myche betere is obedience than the sacrifices of foolis, that witen not what yuel thei don.
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
2 Speke thou not ony thing folily, nether thin herte be swift to brynge forth a word bifore God; for God is in heuene, and thou art on erthe, therfor thi wordis be fewe.
Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. After all, God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few.
3 Dremes suen many bisynessis, and foli schal be foundun in many wordis.
As a dream comes through many cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.
4 If thou hast avowid ony thing to God, tarie thou not to yelde; for an vnfeithful and fonned biheest displesith hym; but `yelde thou what euer thing thou hast avowid;
When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow.
5 and it is myche betere to make not a vowe, than aftir a vowe to yelde not biheestis.
It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
6 Yyue thou not thi mouth, that thou make thi fleisch to do synne; nether seie thou bifor an aungel, No puruyaunce is; lest perauenture the Lord be wrooth on thi wordis, and distruye alle the werkis of thin hondis.
Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, and do not tell the messenger that your vow was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?
7 Where ben many dremes, ben ful many vanytees, and wordis with out noumbre; but drede thou God.
For as many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God.
8 If thou seest false chalengis of nedi men, and violent domes, and that riytfulnesse is distried in the prouynce, wondre thou not on this doyng; for another is hiyere than an hiy man, and also othere men ben more hiye aboue these men;
If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.
9 and ferthermore the kyng of al erthe comaundith to the seruaunt.
The produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
10 An auerouse man schal not be fillid of monei; and he that loueth richessis schal not take fruytis of tho; and therfor this is vanyte.
He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.
11 Where ben many richessis, also many men ben, that eten tho; and what profitith it to the haldere, no but that he seeth richessis with hise iyen?
When good things increase, so do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner, except to behold them with his eyes?
12 Slepe is swete to hym that worchith, whether he etith litil ether myche; but the fulnesse of a ryche man suffrith not hym to slepe.
The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep.
13 Also anothir sijknesse is ful yuel, which Y siy vndur the sunne; richessis ben kept in to the yuel of her lord.
There is a grievous evil I have seen under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
14 For thei perischen in the worste turment; he gendride a sone, that schal be in souereyn nedynesse.
or wealth lost in a failed venture, so when that man has a son there is nothing to pass on.
15 As he yede nakid out of his modris wombe, so he schal turne ayen; and he schal take awei with hym no thing of his trauel.
As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands.
16 Outirli it is a wretchid sijknesse; as he cam, so he schal turne ayen. What therfor profitith it to hym, that he trauelide in to the wynde?
This too is a grievous evil: Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind?
17 In alle the daies of his lijf he eet in derknessis, and in many bisinessis, and in nedynesse, and sorewe.
Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness, with much sorrow, sickness, and anger.
18 Therfor this semyde good to me, that a man ete, and drynke, and vse gladnesse of his trauel, in which he trauelide vndir the sunne, in the noumbre of daies of his lijf, which God yaf to hym; and this is his part.
Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of life that God has given him—for this is his lot.
19 And to ech man, to whom God yaf richessis, and catel, and yaf power to hym to ete of tho, and to vse his part, and to be glad of his trauel; this is the yifte of God.
Furthermore, God has given riches and wealth to every man, and He has enabled him to enjoy them, to accept his lot, and to rejoice in his labor. This is a gift from God.
20 For he schal not bithenke miche on the daies of his lijf, for God ocupieth his herte with delicis.
For a man seldom considers the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.
