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.
Put your feet down with care when you go to the house of God, for it is better to give ear than to make the burned offerings of the foolish, whose knowledge is only of doing evil.
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.
Be not unwise with your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to say anything before God, because God is in heaven and you are on the earth — so let not the number of your words be great.
3 Dremes suen many bisynessis, and foli schal be foundun in many wordis.
As a dream comes from much business, so the voice of a foolish man comes with words in great number.
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 take an oath before God, put it quickly into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you have taken.
5 and it is myche betere to make not a vowe, than aftir a vowe to yelde not biheestis.
It is better not to take an oath than to take an oath and not keep 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.
Let not your mouth make your flesh do evil. And say not before the angel, It was an error. So that God may not be angry with your words and put an end to the work of your hands.
7 Where ben many dremes, ben ful many vanytees, and wordis with out noumbre; but drede thou God.
Because much talk comes from dreams and things of no purpose. But let the fear of God be in you.
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 poor under a cruel yoke, and law and right being violently overturned in a country, be not surprised, because one authority is keeping watch on another and there are higher than they.
9 and ferthermore the kyng of al erthe comaundith to the seruaunt.
It is good generally for a country where the land is worked to have a king.
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 has a love for silver never has enough silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no purpose.
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 goods are increased, the number of those who take of them is increased; and what profit has the owner but to see them?
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 a working man is sweet, if he has little food or much; but to him who is full, sleep will not come.
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 great evil which I have seen under the sun — wealth kept by the owner to be his downfall.
14 For thei perischen in the worste turment; he gendride a sone, that schal be in souereyn nedynesse.
And I saw the destruction of his wealth by an evil chance; and when he became the father of a son he had nothing in his hand.
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 he came from his mother at birth, so does he go again; he gets from his work no reward which he may take away in his hand.
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?
And this again is a great evil, that in all points as he came so will he go; and what profit has he in working for the wind?
17 In alle the daies of his lijf he eet in derknessis, and in many bisinessis, and in nedynesse, and sorewe.
All his days are in the dark, and he has much sorrow, pain, disease, and trouble.
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.
This is what I have seen: it is good and fair for a man to take meat and drink and to have joy in all his work under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; that is his reward.
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.
Every man to whom God has given money and wealth and the power to have pleasure in it and to do his part and have joy in his work: this is given by God.
20 For he schal not bithenke miche on the daies of his lijf, for God ocupieth his herte with delicis.
He will not give much thought to the days of his life; because God lets him be taken up with the joy of his heart.
