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.
Keep your foot when you go to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do 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 rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and you upon earth: therefore let your words be few.
3 Dremes suen many bisynessis, and foli schal be foundun in many wordis.
For a dream comes through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of 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 vow a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he has no pleasure in fools: pay that which you have vowed.
5 and it is myche betere to make not a vowe, than aftir a vowe to yelde not biheestis.
Better is it that you should not vow, than that you should vow and not pay.
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.
Suffer not your mouth to cause your flesh to sin; neither say you before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at your voice, 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 in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear you 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 violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regards; and there be higher than they.
9 and ferthermore the kyng of al erthe comaundith to the seruaunt.
Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.
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 that loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loves abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
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 increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their 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 a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to 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 sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
14 For thei perischen in the worste turment; he gendride a sone, that schal be in souereyn nedynesse.
But those riches perish by evil travail: and he bring forths a son, and there is 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 out of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry 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 also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit has he that has laboured 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 also he eats in darkness, and he has much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.
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.
Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he takes under the sun all the days of his life, which God gives him: for it is his portion.
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 also to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.
20 For he schal not bithenke miche on the daies of his lijf, for God ocupieth his herte with delicis.
For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answers him in the joy of his heart.
