Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is betere than preciouse oynementis; and the dai of deth is betere than the dai of birthe.
[Having] a good reputation [MTY] is better than fine perfume, and the day that we die is better than the day that we are born.
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 a house where people are mourning [about someone who has died] than to go to a house where people are feasting, because everyone will die some day, and people who are alive should think seriously [IDM] about that.
3 Yre is betere than leiyyng; for the soule of a trespassour is amendid bi the heuynesse of cheer.
It is better to be sad than to be [always] laughing, because being sad can cause us to think more about how we should conduct our lives [IDM].
4 The herte of wise men is where sorewe is; and the herte of foolis is where gladnesse is.
Wise [people] who go to where others are mourning think about [the fact that some day they also will] die, but foolish people [PRS] [do not think about that]; they are always [MTY] laughing.
5 It is betere to be repreued of a wijs man, than to be disseyued bi the flateryng of foolis;
It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
6 for as the sown of thornes brennynge vndur a pot, so is the leiyyng of a fool. But also this is vanyte.
By [listening to] foolish people laughing we will not [learn any more than by listening to] the crackling of thorns [being burned] under a pot. Listening to fools is senseless.
7 Fals chalenge disturblith a wijs man, and it schal leese the strengthe of his herte.
When wise people say to others, “You must pay me a lot of money for me to protect you,” that causes those wise people to become foolish, and [accepting] bribes causes people to become unable to do what is fair/just.
8 Forsothe the ende of preyer is betere than the bigynnyng. A pacient man is betere than a proud man.
Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
9 Be thou not swift to be wrooth; for ire restith in the bosum of a fool.
Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
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.
Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
11 Forsothe wisdom with richessis is more profitable, and profitith more to men seynge the sunne.
Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
12 For as wisdom defendith, so money defendith; but lernyng and wisdom hath this more, that tho yyuen lijf to `her weldere.
We are [sometimes] protected by being wise like we are [sometimes] protected by having a lot of money, but being wise is better [than having a lot of money], [because] being wise prevents us from [doing foolish things that would] cause us to die.
13 Biholde thou the werkis of God, that no man may amende hym, whom God hath dispisid.
Think [carefully about] what God has done. Certainly no one can [RHQ] cause to become straight the things that God has caused to be crooked.
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.
When things are going well for you, be happy, and when things are not going well for you, remember that God is the one who causes good things to happen and who also causes disasters.
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.
During all the time that I have been alive I have seen a lot of [HYP] things that seem senseless. I have seen righteous people die [while they are still young], and I have seen wicked people remain alive for a very long time in [spite of] their continuing to be wicked.
16 Nyle thou be iust myche, nether vndurstonde thou more than is nedeful; lest thou be astonyed.
[So] do not think that you are very righteous and do not think that you are very wise, [because if you think those things], you will destroy yourself.
17 Do thou not wickidli myche, and nyle thou be a fool; lest thou die in a tyme not thin.
If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
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.
Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
19 Wisdom hath coumfortid a wise man, ouer ten pryncis of a citee.
If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
20 Forsothe no iust man is in erthe, that doith good, and synneth not.
There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
21 But also yyue thou not thin herte to alle wordis, that ben seid; lest perauenture thou here thi seruaunt cursynge thee;
Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
22 for thi conscience woot, that also thou hast cursid ofte othere men.
You know that you have also cursed other people.
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;
I said [to myself] that I would use my wisdom to study all the things [that I have written about], but I was not able to do it successfully.
24 and the depthe is hiy, who schal fynde it?
Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
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.
But I decided to investigate things and by my wisdom try to understand the reason for everything. I also wanted to understand why people act wickedly and why they act very foolishly.
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.
[One thing I learned was that] (allowing a woman to seduce you/having sex with a woman to whom you are not married) is worse than dying. A woman who tries to seduce men is [as dangerous as] a trap [MET]. [If you allow her to put] her arms [around you, it will be as though she will be fastening you with] chains. Women like that will capture sinful men, but men who please God will escape from such women.
27 Lo! Y foond this, seide Ecclesiastes, oon and other, that Y schulde fynde resoun, which my soule sekith yit;
This is what I have learned: I tried to learn more and more about things to try to find out the reason for everything,
28 and Y foond not. I foond o man of a thousynde; Y foond not a womman of alle.
and I continued to try to learn more, but I could not find [all that I was searching for]. [But] one thing that I found out was that among 1,000 [people] I found one righteous man, but I did not find even one righteous woman.
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?
[But] I did learn one thing: When God created people, they were righteous, but they have found many ways to do many evil things.
