Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is betere than preciouse oynementis; and the dai of deth is betere than the dai of birthe.
A good name is better than oil of great price, and the day of death than the day of birth.
2 It is betere to go to the hous of morenyng, than to the hous of a feeste; for in that hous `of morenyng the ende of alle men is monestid, and a man lyuynge thenkith, what is to comynge.
It is better to go to the house of weeping, than to go to the house of feasting; because that is the end of every man, and the living will take it to their hearts.
3 Yre is betere than leiyyng; for the soule of a trespassour is amendid bi the heuynesse of cheer.
Sorrow is better than joy; when the face is sad the mind gets better.
4 The herte of wise men is where sorewe is; and the herte of foolis is where gladnesse is.
The hearts of the wise are in the house of weeping; but the hearts of the foolish are in the house of joy.
5 It is betere to be repreued of a wijs man, than to be disseyued bi the flateryng of foolis;
It is better to take note of the protest of the wise, than for a man to give ear to the song of the foolish.
6 for as the sown of thornes brennynge vndur a pot, so is the leiyyng of a fool. But also this is vanyte.
Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.
7 Fals chalenge disturblith a wijs man, and it schal leese the strengthe of his herte.
The wise are troubled by the ways of the cruel, and the giving of money is the destruction of the heart.
8 Forsothe the ende of preyer is betere than the bigynnyng. A pacient man is betere than a proud man.
The end of a thing is better than its start, and a gentle spirit is better than pride.
9 Be thou not swift to be wrooth; for ire restith in the bosum of a fool.
Be not quick to let your spirit be angry; because wrath is in the heart of the foolish.
10 Seie thou not, What gessist thou is of cause, that the formere tymes weren betere than ben now? for whi siche axyng is fonned.
Say not, Why were the days which have gone by better than these? Such a question comes not from wisdom.
11 Forsothe wisdom with richessis is more profitable, and profitith more to men seynge the sunne.
Wisdom together with a heritage is good, and a profit to those who see the sun.
12 For as wisdom defendith, so money defendith; but lernyng and wisdom hath this more, that tho yyuen lijf to `her weldere.
Wisdom keeps a man from danger even as money does; but the value of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to its owner.
13 Biholde thou the werkis of God, that no man may amende hym, whom God hath dispisid.
Give thought to the work of God. Who will make straight what he has made bent?
14 In a good day vse thou goodis, and bifore eschewe thou an yuel day; for God made so this dai as that dai, that a man fynde not iust playnyngis ayens hym.
In the day of wealth have joy, but in the day of evil take thought: God has put the one against the other, so that man may not be certain what will be after him.
15 Also Y siy these thingis in the daies of my natyuyte; a iust man perischith in his riytfulnesse, and a wickid man lyueth myche tyme in his malice.
These two have I seen in my life which is to no purpose: a good man coming to his end in his righteousness, and an evil man whose days are long in his evil-doing.
16 Nyle thou be iust myche, nether vndurstonde thou more than is nedeful; lest thou be astonyed.
Be not given overmuch to righteousness and be not over-wise. Why let destruction come on you?
17 Do thou not wickidli myche, and nyle thou be a fool; lest thou die in a tyme not thin.
Be not evil overmuch, and be not foolish. Why come to your end before your time?
18 It is good, that thou susteyne a iust man; but also withdrawe thou not thin hond from hym; for he that dredith God, is not necligent of ony thing.
It is good to take this in your hand and not to keep your hand from that; he who has the fear of God will be free of the two.
19 Wisdom hath coumfortid a wise man, ouer ten pryncis of a citee.
Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a town.
20 Forsothe no iust man is in erthe, that doith good, and synneth not.
There is no man on earth of such righteousness that he does good and is free from sin all his days.
21 But also yyue thou not thin herte to alle wordis, that ben seid; lest perauenture thou here thi seruaunt cursynge thee;
Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.
22 for thi conscience woot, that also thou hast cursid ofte othere men.
Your heart has knowledge how frequently others have been cursed by you.
23 I asayede alle thingis in wisdom; Y seide, I schal be maad wijs, and it yede awei ferthere fro me, myche more than it was;
All this I have put to the test by wisdom; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me.
24 and the depthe is hiy, who schal fynde it?
Far off is true existence, and very deep; who may have knowledge of it?
25 I cumpasside alle thingis in my soule, to kunne, and biholde, and seke wisdom and resoun, and to knowe the wickidnesse of a fool, and the errour of vnprudent men.
I gave my mind to knowledge and to searching for wisdom and the reason of things, and to the discovery that sin is foolish, and that to be foolish is to be without one's senses.
26 And Y foond a womman bitterere than deth, which is the snare of hunteris, and hir herte is a net, and hir hondis ben boondis; he that plesith God schal ascape hir, but he that is a synnere, schal be takun of hir.
And I saw a thing more bitter than death, even the woman whose heart is full of tricks and nets, and whose hands are as bands. He with whom God is pleased will get free from her, but the sinner will be taken by her.
27 Lo! Y foond this, seide Ecclesiastes, oon and other, that Y schulde fynde resoun, which my soule sekith yit;
Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,
28 and Y foond not. I foond o man of a thousynde; Y foond not a womman of alle.
For which my soul is still searching, but I have it not; one man among a thousand have I seen; but a woman among all these I have not seen.
29 I foond this oonli, that God made a man riytful; and he medlide hym silf with questiouns with out noumbre. Who is siche as a wijs man? and who knowith the expownyng of a word?
This only have I seen, that God made men upright, but they have been searching out all sorts of inventions.
