Bible (Bishops')/Ecclesiastes

Chapter 1

¹The wordes of the preacher ye sonne of Dauid kyng of Hierusalem.

²All is but most vayne vanitie saith the preacher, & all is most vayne [I say] and but playne vanitie.

³For what els hath a man of all the labour that he taketh vnder the sunne?

⁴One generation passeth away, another commeth: but the earth abideth styll.

⁵The sunne aryseth, the sunne goeth downe, and returneth to his place, that he may there ryse vp agayne.

⁶The wynde goeth towarde the south and turneth vnto the north, fetcheth his compasse, whirleth about, and goeth foorth, and returneth agayne to his circuites from whence he dyd come.

⁷All fluddes runne into the sea, and yet is the sea it selfe not fylled: For loke vnto what place the waters runne, thence they come to flowe agayne.

⁸All thinges are so harde to be knowen, that no man can expresse them: The eye is not satisfied with sight, the eare is not fylled with hearyng.

⁹The thyng that hath ben, commeth to passe agayne, and the thyng that hath ben done, shalbe done agayne: There is no newe thyng vnder the sunne.

¹⁰Is there any thyng wherof it may be sayde, lo this is newe? for it was long ago in the tymes that haue ben before vs.

¹¹The thyng that is past is out of remembraunce: euen so the thynges that are for to come, shal no more be thought vpon among them that come after.

¹²I my selfe the preacher was kyng of Israel at Hierusalem,

¹³And dyd applie my mynde to seke out & searche for knowledge of all thynges that are done vnder heauen: Such trauayle and labour hath God geuen vnto the children of men, to exercise them selues therin.

¹⁴Thus haue I considered all these thynges that come to passe vnder the sunne: and lo, they are all but vanitie and vexation of mynde.

¹⁵The croked can not be made straight, nor the imperfection of thynges can be numbred.

¹⁶I communed with myne owne heart, saying: lo I am come to great estate, and haue gotten more wisdome then all they that haue ben before me in Hierusalem.

¹⁷Yea, my heart had great experience of wisdome & knowledge: for thervnto I applied my mynde, that I myght knowe what were wisdome and vnderstandyng, what were errour and foolishnesse: and I perceaued that this was also but a vexation of mynde.

¹⁸For where much wisdome is, there is also great trauayle and disquietnesse: and the more knowledge a man hath, the more is his care.

Chapter 2

¹Then sayde I thus in my heart: Nowe go to, I will take myne ease, and haue good dayes: But lo, that is vanitie also.

²Insomuch that I saide vnto the man geuen to laughter, thou art mad: and to mirth, what doest thou?

³So I thought in my heart to geue my fleshe vnto wine, and agayne to apply my mynde vnto wisdome, and to comprehende foolishnesse: vntyll the tyme that among all the thynges which are vnder the sunne, I myght see what were best for men to do so long as they liue vnder heauen.

⁴I made gorgious faire workes: I builded my houses, and planted vineyardes.

⁵I made me orchardes and gardens of pleasure, and planted trees in them of all maner of fruites.

⁶I made pooles of water, to water the greene and fruitfull trees withall.

⁷I bought seruauntes and maydens, and had a great housholde: As for cattel and sheepe, I had more substaunce of them then all they that were before me in Hierusalem

⁸I gathered together siluer and golde, and the chiefe treasures of kynges and landes: I haue prouided me men singgers and women singers, and the delites of the sonnes of men, as a woman taken captiue, and women taken captiues.

⁹And I was greater and in more worship then all my predecessours in Hierusalem: For wisdome remayned with me.

¹⁰And loke whatsoeuer myne eyes desired, I let them haue it: and wherin soeuer my heart delited or had any pleasure, I withhelde it not from it: Thus my heart reioyced in all that I did, and this was my portion of all my trauayle.

¹¹But when I considered all the workes that my handes had wrought, and all the labour that I had taken therin: lo all was but vanitie and vexation of mynde, and nothing of any value vnder the sunne.

¹²Then turned I me to consider wisdome, errour, and foolishnesse (for what is he among men that myght be compared to me the kyng in such workes?)

¹³And I sawe that wisdome excelleth foolishnesse, as farre as light doth darknesse.

¹⁴For a wise man hath his eyes in his head, but the foole goeth in darknesse: I perceaued also that they both had one ende.

¹⁵Then thought I in my mynde, yf it happen vnto the foole as it doth vnto me, what needeth me then to labour any more for wisdome? So I confessed within my heart that this also was but vanitie.

¹⁶For the wise are euer as litle in remembraunce as the foolishe: for the dayes shall come when all shalbe forgotten: yea the wise man dyeth as well as the foole.

¹⁷Thus began I to be weery of my life, insomuch that I coulde away with nothyng that is done vnder the sunne: for all was but vanitie and vexation of mynde.

¹⁸Yea I was weery of my labour which I had taken vnder the sunne, because I shoulde be fayne to leaue them vnto another man that commeth after me:

¹⁹And who knoweth whether he shalbe a wise man or a foole? And yet shall he be lorde of all my laboures which I with such wisdome haue taken vnder the sunne: This is also a vayne thyng.

²⁰So I turned me to refrayne my mynde from all such trauayle as I toke vnder the sunne,

²¹Forsomuch as a man shoulde weery hym selfe with wisdome, with vnderstandyng and oportunitie, and yet be fayne to leaue his labours vnto another that neuer sweat for them: This is also a vayne thyng, and great miserie.

²²For what getteth a man of all the labour and trauayle of his mynde that he taketh vnder the sunne?

²³But heauinesse, sorowe, and disquietnesse all the dayes of his life? Insomuch that his heart can not rest in the nyght: This is also a vayne thyng.

²⁴Is it not better then for a man to eate and drynke, and his soule to be mery in his labour? yea I sawe that this also was a gift of God.

²⁵For who wyll eate or go more lustyly to his worke then I?

²⁶And why? God geueth to the man that is good before hym, wisdome, vnderstandyng, and gladnesse: but vnto the sinner he geueth weerinesse, that he may gather and heape together the thyng that afterwarde shalbe geuen vnto hym whom it pleaseth God: This is nowe a vayne thyng, yea a very disquietnesse and vexation of mynde.

Chapter 3

¹Euery thyng hath a tyme, yea all that is vnder the heaue hath his conuenient season.

²There is a tyme to be borne, and a tyme to dye: there is a tyme to plant, and a tyme to plucke vp the thyng that is planted.

³A tyme to slay, and a tyme to make whole: a tyme to breake downe, and a tyme to builde vp.

⁴A tyme to weepe, and a tyme to laugh: a tyme to mourne, & a tyme to daunce.

⁵A tyme to cast away stones, and a tyme to gather stones together: A tyme to imbrace, and a tyme to refrayne from imbracyng.

⁶A tyme to wynne, and a tyme to lose: A tyme to spare, and a tyme to spende.

⁷A tyme to cut in peeces, and a tyme to sowe together: A tyme to kepe scilence, and a tyme to speake.

⁸A tyme to loue, and a tyme to hate: A tyme of warre, and a tyme of peace.

⁹What hath a man els that doth any thyng, but weerinesse and labour?

¹⁰For as touchyng the trauayle and carefulnesse which God hath geuen vnto men, I see that he hath geuen it them to be exercised in it.

¹¹All this hath he ordeyned marueilous goodly, to euery thyng his due tyme: He hath planted ignoraunce also in the heartes of men, that they shoulde not comprehende the ground of his workes which he doth from the begynnyng to the ende.

¹²So I perceaued that in those thinges there is nothyng better for a man then to be mery, and to do well as long as he lyueth.

¹³For all that a man eateth & drynketh, yea whatsoeuer a man enioyeth of all his labour: that same is a gyft of God.

¹⁴I considered also that whatsoeuer God doth, it continueth for euer: And that nothyng can be put vnto it, nor taken from it, & that God doth it to the intent that men shoulde feare hym.

¹⁵The thyng that hath ben, is nowe: and the thyng that is for to come, hath ben afore time: for God restoreth againe the thyng that was past.

¹⁶Moreouer, I sawe vnder the sunne vngodlynes in the steade of iudgement, & iniquitie in steade of righteousnesse.

¹⁷Then thought I in my mynde, God shall separate the ryghteous from the vngodly: and then shalbe the tyme and iudgement of all counsayles & workes.

¹⁸I communed with myne owne heart also concernyng the children of men, howe God hath chosen them, and yet letteth them appeare as though they were beastes.

¹⁹For it happeneth vnto men as it doth vnto beastes, euen one condition vnto them both: as the one dyeth so dyeth the other, yea they haue both one maner of breath: so that in this a man hath no preeminence aboue a beast, but are all subdued vnto vanitie.

²⁰They go all vnto one place: for as they be all of dust, so shall they all turne vnto dust agayne.

²¹Who knoweth the spirite of man that goeth vpwarde, & the breath of the beast that goeth downe to the earth?

²²Wherfore I perceaue that there is nothyng better for a man then to be ioyfull in his labour, for that is his portion: But who wyll bryng hym to see the thyng that shall come after hym?

Chapter 4

¹So I turned me, and considered all the violent wrong that is done vnder the sunne: and beholde the teares of such as were oppressed, and there was no man to comfort them, or that woulde deliuer and defende them from the violence of their oppressours.

²Wherfore I iudged those that are dead, to be more happy then those that be alyue?

³Yea him that is yet vnborne, to be better at ease then they both: because he seeth not the miserable workes that are done vnder the sunne.

⁴Agayne, I sawe that all trauayle and diligence of labour that euery man taketh in hande, was done of enuie agaynst his neighbour: This is also a vayne thyng, and a vexation of mynde.

⁵The foole foldeth his handes together, and eateth vp his owne fleshe.

⁶One handfull [saith he] is better with rest, then both the handes full with labour and trauayle of mynde.

⁷Moreouer I turned me, and beholde yet another vanitie vnder the sunne.

⁸There is one man, no mo but himselfe alone, hauing neither childe nor brother, yet is there no ende of his carefull trauayle, his eyes can not be satisfied with riches: [yet saith he not] for whom do I take such trauayle? For whose pleasure do I thus consume away my life? This is also a vayne and miserable thyng.

⁹Therfore two are better then one, for they may well enioy the profite of their labour: For yf one of them fall, his companion helpeth him vp agayne.

¹⁰But wo is him that is alone: for yf he fal, he hath not another to helpe him vp.

¹¹Agayne, when two sleepe together they are warme: but howe can a body be warme alone?

¹²One may be ouercome, but two may make resistaunce: A three folde gable is not lightly broken.

¹³A poore chylde beyng wise, is better then an olde kyng that doteth, and can not beware in tyme to come.

¹⁴Some one commeth out of prison, and is made a kyng: and another which is borne in the kyngdome, commeth vnto pouertie.

¹⁵And I perceaued that all men lyuyng vnder the sunne, go with the seconde childe that shall stande vp in the steade of the other.

¹⁶As for the people that haue ben before him, and that come after him, they are innumerable, and they that come after him shall not reioyce in him: This is also a vayne thyng, and vexation of mynde.

Chapter 5

¹When thou commest into the house of God, kepe thy foote and drawe nye, that God which is at hande may heare that thou geue not the offerynges of fooles: for they knowe naught but to do euyll.

²Be not hastye with thy mouth, and let not thine heart speake any thyng rashly before God: For God is in heauen, and thou vpon earth, therfore let thy wordes be fewe.

³For where much carefulnesse is, there are many dreames: and where many wordes are, there men may heare fooles.

⁴If thou make a vowe vnto God, be not slacke to perfourme it: As for foolish vowes he hath no pleasure in them: yf thou promise any thyng, pay it.

⁵For better is it that thou make no vowe, then that thou shouldest promise and not pay.

⁶Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy fleshe for to sinne, neither say thou before the angell that it is thy ignoraunce: for then God wyll be angry at thy voyce, and destroy all the worke of thyne handes.

⁷And why? wheras are many dreames and many wordes, there are also diuers vanities: but loke that thou feare God.

⁸If thou seest the poore to be oppressed, and wrongfully dealt withall, so that equitie and right of the lawe is wrested in the lande, maruayle not thou at such a thyng: for he that is higher then the hyghest regardeth, and there be hygher then they.

⁹The encrease of the earth vpholdeth all thyng: yea the kyng hym selfe is maynteyned by husbandry.

¹⁰He that loueth money, wyll neuer be satisfied with money: and he that loueth riches, shalbe without the fruite therof: This is also a vayne thyng.

¹¹Wheras much riches is, there are many also that spende them away: And what pleasure more hath he that possesseth them, sauyng that he may loke vpon them with his eyes?

¹²A labouryng man sleepeth swetely, whether it be litle or much that he eateth: but the aboundaunce of the riche wyll not suffer him to sleepe.

¹³Yet is there a sore plague which I haue seene vnder the sunne [namely] riches kept to the hurt of him that hath them in possession:

¹⁴For oft tymes they perishe with his great miserie and trouble: and yf he haue a chylde, it getteth nothyng.

¹⁵Lyke as he came naked out of his mothers wombe, so goeth he thyther agayne, and caryeth nothyng away with him of all his labour.

¹⁶This is a miserable plague, that he shall go euen as he came away: What helpeth it him then that he hath laboured in the wynde?

¹⁷All the dayes of his lyfe also he dyd eate in the darke, with great carefulnesse, sicknesse, and sorowe.

¹⁸Therfore me thinke it a better and a fayrer thyng, a man to eate and drynke, and to be refresshed of all his labour that he taketh vnder the sunne, all the dayes of his lyfe which God geueth him: for this is his portion.

¹⁹For vnto whom soeuer God geueth riches, goodes, and power, he geueth it him to enioy it, to take it for his portion, and to be refresshed of his labour: this is the gyft of God.

²⁰For he thinketh not much howe long he shall lyue, forasmuch as God fylleth his heart with gladnesse.

Chapter 6

¹There is yet a plague vnder the sunne, and it is a generall thyng among men:

²when God geueth a man riches, goodes, and honour, so that he wanteth nothyng of all that his heart can desire, and yet God geueth him not leaue to enioy the same, but another man spendeth them: This is a vayne thyng and a miserable plague.

³If a man beget a hundred children, and lyue many yeres, so that his dayes are many in number, and yet can not enioy his good, neither be buryed: as for him I say, that vntymely birth is better then he.

⁴For he commeth to naught, & spendeth his tyme in darknesse, and his name is forgotten.

⁵Moreouer he seeth not the sunne, and knoweth not of it: and yet hath he more rest then the other.

⁶Yea, though he lyued two thousande yeres, yet hath he no good lyfe: Come not all to one place?

⁷All the labour that a man taketh, is for him selfe, and yet his desire is neuer fylled after his mynde.

⁸For what hath the wise more then the foole? What helpeth it the poore that he knoweth to walke with fooles before the lyuyng?

⁹The cleare sight of the eye, is better then that the soule shoulde walke after desires of the lust: Howbeit, this is also a vayne thyng, and a disquietnesse of mynde.

¹⁰The thyng that hath ben, is named alredy, and knowen that it is euen man him selfe: neither may he go to lawe with him that is mightier then he.

¹¹Many thinges there be that encrease vanitie, and what hath a man els?

¹²For who knoweth what is good for man liuing in the dayes of his vayne life, whiche is but a shadowe? Or who wyl tell a man what shall happen after hym vnder the sunne?

Chapter 7

¹A good name is more worth then precious oyntment: & the day of death, is better the the day of byrth.

²It is better to go into an house of mourning, then into a banketting house: For there is the ende of all men, and he that is liuing taketh it to heart.

³Grauitie is better then to laugh: for when the countenaunce is heauie, the heart is refourmed.

⁴The heart of the wise is in the mourning house: but the heart of the foolishe is in the house of myrth.

⁵It is better to geue eare to the chastening of a wyse man, then to heare the songue of fooles:

⁶For the laughyng of fooles is like the cracking of thornes vnder a pot: and that is but a vayne thing.

⁷The wyse man hateth wrong dealing, and abhorreth the heart that coueteth rewardes.

⁸Better is it to consider the ende of a thing then the beginning: The pacient of spirite, is better then the hye minded.

⁹Be not hastyly angrie in thy minde: for wrath resteth in the bosome of fooles.

¹⁰Say not thou, What is the cause that the dayes of the old time were better then they that be nowe? for that were no wyse question.

¹¹Wysdome with inheritaunce is good, yet better is it with them that without care may beholde the sunne:

¹²For wysdome defendeth aswell as money, and the excellent knowledge & wysdome geueth lyfe vnto hym that hath it in possession.

¹³Consider the worke of God, how that no man can make the thing straight, whiche he maketh crooked.

¹⁴Use well the tyme of prosperitie, and remember the tyme of misfortune: for God doth so temper the one and the other, that a man can finde nothing els.

¹⁵All thinges haue I considered in the time of my vanitie: that the iust man perisheth for his righteousnesse sake, & the vngodly liueth in his wickednesse.

¹⁶Therfore be thou neither to righteous nor ouer wyse, that thou perishe not.

¹⁷Be neither to vnrighteous also nor to foolishe, lest thou die before thy time.

¹⁸It is good for thee to take holde of this, and not to let that go out of thy hande: For he that feareth God, commeth foorth with them all.

¹⁹Wysdome geueth more courage vnto the wyse, then ten mightie men of the citie.

²⁰For there is not one iust vpon earth that doth good, and sinneth not.

²¹Take no heede vnto euery word that is spoken, lest thou heare thy seruaunt curse thee:

²²for thyne owne heart knoweth that thou thy self also hast ofttimes spoken euyll by other men.

²³All these thinges haue I proued in wysdome, for I thought to be wyse, but she went farther from me then she was before:

²⁴yea and so deepe, that I might not reache vnto her.

²⁵I applied my minde also vnto knowledge, and to seeke and searche out science, wysdome, and vnderstanding, to knowe the foolishnesse of the vngodly, and the errour of doting fooles.

²⁶And I founde that a woman is bitterer then death, the whiche hath cast abrode her heart as a net that men fishe with, and her handes are chaynes: Who so pleaseth God shall escape from her, but the sinner wyll be taken with her.

²⁷Beholde (saith the preacher) this haue I diligently searched out and proued: One thing must be considered with another, that a man may come by knowledge,

²⁸which as yet I seeke, and finde it not. Among a thousande men I haue founde one: but not one woman among all.

²⁹Lo this onlye haue I founde, that God made man iust and right: but they sought many inuentions.

Chapter 8

¹Who is wise? who hath knowledge to make an aunswere? A mans wysdome maketh his face to shine: but vnshamefastnes putteth it out of fauour.

²Kepe the kynges commaundement, namely for the oth that thou hast made vnto God for the same.

³Be not hastie to go out of his sight, and see thou continue in no euyll thing: for whatsoeuer it pleaseth hym, that doth he.

⁴Like as when a king geueth a charge, his commaundement is mightie: Euen so, who may say vnto him, what doest thou?

⁵Who so kepeth the commaundement, shall feele no harme: but a wyse mans heart discerneth the tyme and iudgement.

⁶For euery thing wyll haue oportunitie and iudgement: and this is the thing that maketh men full of carefulnesse and sorowe.

⁷And why? a man knoweth not what is for to come: for who can tell hym when it shalbe?

⁸Neither is there any man that hath power ouer the spirite to kepe styll the spirite, nor to haue any power in the tyme of death, nor that can make an ende of the battayle, neither may vngodlynesse deliuer them that meddle withall.

⁹All these thinges haue I considered, and applied my mynde vnto euery worke that is vnder the sunne, howe one man hath lordship vpon another to his owne harme.

¹⁰For I haue seene often the vngodly brought to their graues, and yet they haue returned into the citie agayne: and came from the place of holy men, whiche in the citie were growen out of memorie, as were those also that liued well: This is also a vayne thing.

¹¹Because nowe that euyll workes are not hastyly punished, the heart of man geueth hym selfe ouer vnto wickednesse.

¹²Because an euyll person offendeth an hundred tymes, and God deferreth, geuing hym long life, therefore am I sure that it shall go well with them that feare God, whiche haue hym before their eyes.

¹³Againe, as for the vngodly it shall not be well with him, neither shall he prolong his dayes: but euen as a shadowe, so shall he be that feareth not God.

¹⁴Yet is there a vanitie vpon earth: There be iust men vnto whom it happeneth as though they had the workes of the vngodly: Againe, there be vngodly, with whom it goeth as though they had the workes of the righteous: This haue I called also a vayne thing.

¹⁵Therfore I commende gladnesse, because a man hath no better thing vnder the sunne, then to eate and drinke, and to be merie: for that shall he haue of his labour, al the dayes of his life which God geueth hym vnder the sunne.

¹⁶And so I applied my minde to learne wysdome, and to knowe the trauayle that is in the worlde, and that of suche a fashion, that I suffred not mine eyes to sleepe neither day nor night.

¹⁷I vnderstoode of all the workes of God, but it is not possible for a man to attayne vnto the workes that are done vnder the sunne: and though he bestowe his labour to seeke them out, yet can he not reach vnto them: yea though a wyse man would vndertake to know them, yet shall he not finde them.

Chapter 9

¹For all these thinges purposed I in my mynde to seeke out: The righteous & wise, yea & their seruauntes also are in the hand of God, and there is no man that knoweth eyther loue or hate, but all thinges are before them.

²It happeneth vnto one as vnto another, it goeth with the righteous as with the vngodly, with the good and cleane, as with the vncleane, with hym that offereth, as with him that offereth not: like as it goeth with the vertuous, so goeth it also with the sinner: as it happeneth vnto the pariured, so happeneth it also to hym that is afrayde to be forsworne.

³Among all thinges that come to passe vnder the sunne, this is a miserie, that it happeneth vnto all alike: This is the cause also that the heartes of men are full of wickednesse, and madde foolishnesse is in their heartes as long as they liue, vntyll they dye.

⁴And why? as long as a man liueth, he hath an hope: for a quicke dogge [say they] is better then a dead lion.

⁵For they that be liuing knowe that they shall dye: but they that be dead knowe nothing, neither deserue they any more, for their memoriall is forgotten.

⁶Also their loue, and their hatred, and their enuie is nowe perished, neither haue they any more part in the worlde in all that is done vnder the sunne.

⁷Go thou thy way then, eate thy bread with ioy, & drinke thy wine with a glad heart, for thy workes please god:

⁸Let thy garmentes be alwayes white, and let thy head lacke no oyntment.

⁹Use thy selfe to liue ioyfully with thy wife whom thou louest all the dayes of thy life whiche is but vayne, that God geueth thee vnder the sunne all the dayes of thy vanitie: for that is thy portion in this life of al thy labour and trauayle that thou takest vnder the sunne.

¹⁰Whatsoeuer thou takest in hande to do, that do with al thy power: for in the graue that thou goest vnto, there is neither worke, counsayle, knowledge, nor wysdome.

¹¹So I turned me vnto other thinges vnder the sunne, & I sawe that in running it helpeth not to be swift, in battell it helpeth not to be strong, to feeding it helpeth not to be wyse, to riches it helpeth not to be a man of muche vnderstanding, to be had in fauour it helpeth not to be cunning: but that all lieth in tyme and fortune.

¹²For a man knoweth not his tyme: but like as the fishes are taken with the angle, and as the byrdes are caught with the snare: euen so are men taken in the perillous time, when it commeth sodaynly vpon them.

¹³This wysdome haue I seene also vnder the sunne, and me thought it a great thing:

¹⁴There was a litle citie and a few men within it: so there came a great kyng and besieged it, and made great bulwarkes against it.

¹⁵And in the citie there was founde a poore man, but he was wyse, whiche with his wysdome deliuered the citie, yet was there no body that had any respect to such a simple man.

¹⁶Then sayd I, wysdome is better then strength: Neuerthelesse, a simple mans wysdome is despised, and his wordes are not hearde.

¹⁷A wyse mans counsayle that is folowed in scilence, is farre aboue the crying of a captaine among fooles.

¹⁸For wysdome is better then harnesse: but one sinner alone destroyeth muche goodnesse.

Chapter 10

¹A dead flye doth corrupt sweete oyntment, and maketh it to stinke: Euen so oft tymes he that hath ben had in estimation for wysdome and honour, is abhorred because of a litle foolishnesse.

²A wyse mans heart is vpon his right hande, but a fooles heart vpon his left.

³A foole wyll shewe him selfe when he goeth by the way, yet thinketh he that euery man doth as foolishly as him self.

⁴If a principall spirite be geuen thee to beare rule, be not negligent then in thine office: for he that can take cure of him selfe, auoydeth great offences.

⁵Another plague is there whiche I haue seene vnder the sunne, namely, the ignoraunce that is commonly among princes: in that a foole sitteth in great dignitie, and the riche are set downe beneath.

⁶in that a foole sitteth in great dignitie, and the riche are set downe beneath.

⁷I haue seene seruauntes ride vpon horses, and princes goyng vpon their feete as it were seruauntes.

⁸But he that diggeth vp a pitte, shall fall therin hym selfe: and who so breaketh downe the hedge, a serpent shall byte hym.

⁹Who so remoueth stones, shall haue trauayle withall: and he that heweth wood, shalbe hurt therwith.

¹⁰When an iron is blunt and the poynt not sharpened, it must be whet agayne, and that with might: Euen so doth wisdome folowe diligence.

¹¹A backbiter is no better then a serpent that stingeth without hissing.

¹²The wordes out of a wyse mans mouth are gratious: but the lippes of a foole wyll destroy him selfe.

¹³The beginning of his talking is foolishnesse: & the last worde of his mouth is starke madnesse.

¹⁴A foole is full of wordes, and a man can not tell what shall come to passe: who wyll then warne hym of it that shall folowe after hym?

¹⁵The labour of the foolishe is greeuous vnto them, whyle they know not howe to go into the citie.

¹⁶Wo be vnto thee O thou lande, whose kyng is but a chylde, and whose princes are early at their bankettes.

¹⁷But well is thee O thou lande, whose kyng is come of nobles, and whose princes eate in due season for necessitie, and not for lust.

¹⁸Thorowe slouthfulnesse the balkes fall downe, and thorowe idle handes it rayneth in at the house.

¹⁹Meate maketh men to laugh, and wine maketh them merie: but vnto money are all thinges obedient.

²⁰Wishe the king no euil in thy thought, and speake no hurt of the riche in thy priuie chaumber: for a byrde of the ayre shall betray thy voyce, and with her fethers shall she bewray thy wordes.

Chapter 11

¹Lay thy bread vpon wette faces, and so shalt thou finde it after many dayes.

²Geue part seue days, & also vpon the eyght: for thou knowest not what miserie shall come vpon earth.

³When the cloudes are full, they powre out raine vpon the earth. And when the tree falleth, whether it be towarde the south or north, in what place soeuer it fall, there it lieth.

⁴He that regardeth the winde, shall not sowe: and he that hath respect vnto the cloudes, shall not reape.

⁵Nowe like as thou knowest not the way of the spirite, nor howe the bones do growe in the wombe of her that is with chylde: Euen so thou knowest not the workes of God, which is the workmaster of all.

⁶Ceasse not thou therefore with thy handes to sowe thy seede, whether it be in the morning or in the euening: for thou knowest not whether this or that shall prosper, and if they both take, it is the better.

⁷The light is sweete, and a pleasaunt thing is it for the eyes to looke vpon the sunne.

⁸If a man lyue many yeres, and be glad in them all, let hym remember the dayes of darknesse whiche shalbe manye, and that foloweth: Al thinges shalbe but vanitie.

⁹Be glad then (O thou young man) in thy youth, and let thy heart be merie in thy young dayes, folowe the wayes of thyne owne heart, and the lust of thyne eyes, but be thou sure that God shall bryng thee into iudgement for all these thinges.

¹⁰Put away displeasure out of thine heart, and remoue euill from thy body: for chyldhood and youth is but vanitie.

Chapter 12

¹Remember thy maker the sooner in thy youth, or euer the dayes of aduersitie come, and or the yeres drawe nye when thou shalt say, I haue not pleasure in them:

²Before the sunne, the light, the moone, and starres be darkened, and or the cloudes turne agayne after the rayne:

³When the kepers of the house shall tremble, and when the strong men shall bowe them selues, when the milners stand styll because they be so fewe, and when the sight of the windowes shall waxe dimme:

⁴When the doores in the streetes shalbe shut, and when the voyce of the milner shalbe layde downe, when men shall ryse vp at the voyce of the byrde, and when all the daughters of musicke shalbe brought lowe:

⁵When men shall feare in hye places, and be afraide in the streetes, when the Almonde tree shall florishe and be laden with the grashopper, and when all lust shal passe: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streetes.

⁶Or euer the siluer lace be taken away, and or the golden well be broken: Or the pot be broken at the well, and the wheele broken vpon the cesterne.

⁷Then shall the dust be turned agayne vnto earth from whence it came, and the spirite shall returne vnto God who gaue it.

⁸All is but vanitie (saith the preacher) all is but playne vanitie.

⁹The preacher was yet more wyse, and taught the people knowledge, he gaue good heede, sought out the ground, and set foorth many parables:

¹⁰His diligence was to finde out acceptable wordes, right scripture, & the wordes of trueth.

¹¹For the wordes of the wyse are like prickes and nayles that go thorowe, of the auctoures of gatheringes [which] are geuen of one shephearde.

¹²Therefore beware my sonne of that doctrine that is beside this: for to make many bookes, it is an endlesse worke, and to muche studie weerieth the body.

¹³Let vs heare the conclusion of all thinges, Feare God, and kepe his commaundementes: for that toucheth all men.

¹⁴For God shall iudge all workes and secrete thinges, whether they be good or euyll.