Ecclesiastes 8

1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

The wisdom of a man schyneth in his cheer; and the myytieste schal chaunge his face.

2 I [counsel thee], Keep the king’s command, and that in regard of the oath of God.

I kepe the mouth of the kyng, and the comaundementis and sweryngis of God.

3 Be not hasty to go out of his presence; persist not in an evil thing: for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.

Haste thou not to go awei fro his face, and dwelle thou not in yuel werk. For he schal do al thing, that he wole;

4 Because the king’s word [hath] power; and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

and his word is ful of power, and no man mai seie to hym, Whi doist thou so?

5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall know no evil thing; and a wise man’s heart discerneth time and judgment:

He that kepith the comaundement of God `in this lijf, schal not feele ony thing of yuel; the herte of a wijs man vndurstondith tyme and answer.

6 for to every purpose there is a time and judgment; because the misery of man is great upon him:

Tyme and cesoun is to ech werk; and myche turment is of a man,

7 for he knoweth not that which shall be; for who can tell him how it shall be?

for he knowith not thingis passid, and he mai not knowe bi ony messanger thingis to comynge.

8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in [that] war: neither shall wickedness deliver him that is given to it.

It is not in the power of man to forbede the spirit, nethir he hath power in the dai of deth, nethir he is suffrid to haue reste, whanne the batel neiyeth; nethir wickidnesse schal saue a wickid man.

9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: [there is] a time wherein one man hath power over another to his hurt.

I bihelde alle thes thingis, and Y yaf myn herte in alle werkis, that ben don vndur the sunne. Sum tyme a man is lord of a man, to his yuel.

10 And withal I saw the wicked buried, and they came [to the grave]; and they that had done right went away from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city: this also is vanity.

Y siy wickid men biryed, which, whanne thei lyueden yit, weren in hooli place; and thei weren preisid in the citee, as men of iust werkis; but also this is vanyte.

11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

Forsothe for the sentence is not brouyt forth soone ayens yuele men, the sones of men doon yuels with outen ony drede.

12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and prolong his [days], yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:

Netheles of that, that a synnere doith yuel an hundrid sithis, and is suffrid bi pacience, Y knew that good schal be to men dredynge God, that reuerensen his face.

13 but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, [which are] as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.

Good be not to the wickid man, nethir hise daies be maad longe; but passe thei as schadewe, that dreden not the face of the Lord.

14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be righteous men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.

Also another vanyte is, which is don on erthe. Iust men ben, to whiche yuels comen, as if thei diden the werkis of wickid men; and wickid men ben, that ben so sikur, as if thei han the dedis of iust men; but Y deme also this moost veyn.

15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him in his labour [all] the days of his life which God hath given him under the sun.

Therfor Y preysid gladnesse, that no good was to a man vndur the sunne, no but to ete, and drynke, and to be ioiful; and that he schulde bere awei with hym silf oneli this of his trauel, in the daies of his lijf, whiche God yaf to hym vndur the sunne.

16 When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes: )

And Y settide myn herte to knowe wisdom, and to vndurstonde the departing, which is turned in erthe. A man is, that bi daies and niytis takith not sleep with iyen.

17 then I beheld all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because however much a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea moreover, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

And Y vndurstood, that of alle the werkis of God, a man may fynde no resoun of tho thingis, that ben don vndur the sunne; and in as myche as he traueilith more to seke, bi so myche he schal fynde lesse; yhe, thouy a wijs man seith that he knowith, he schal not mow fynde.