1 WYC I tretide alle these thingis in myn herte, to vndirstonde diligentli. Iust men, and wise men ben, and her werkis ben in the hond of God; and netheles a man noot, whether he is worthi of loue or of hatrede. BSB BSB: So I took all this to heart and concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their deeds, are in God’s hands. Man does not know what lies ahead, whether love or hate.
2 WYC But alle thingis ben kept vncerteyn in to tyme to comynge; for alle thingis bifallen euenli to a iust man and to a wickid man, to a good man and to an yuel man, to a cleene man and to an vnclene man, to a man offrynge offryngis and sacrifices, and to a man dispisynge sacrifices; as a good man, so and a synnere; as a forsworun man, so and he that greetli swerith treuthe. BSB BSB: It is the same for all: There is a common fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who makes a vow, so it is for the one who refuses to take a vow.
3 WYC This thing is the worste among alle thingis, that ben don vndur the sunne, that the same thingis bifallen to alle men; wherfor and the hertis of the sones of men ben fillid with malice and dispisyng in her lijf; and aftir these thingis thei schulen be led doun to hellis. BSB BSB: This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil and madness while they are alive, and afterward they join the dead.
4 WYC No man is, that lyueth euere, and that hath trist of this thing; betere is a quik dogge than a deed lioun. BSB BSB: There is hope, however, for anyone who is among the living; for even a live dog is better than a dead lion.
5 WYC For thei that lyuen witen that thei schulen die; but deed men knowen no thing more, nether han meede ferthere; for her mynde is youun to foryetyng. BSB BSB: For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, because the memory of them is forgotten.
6 WYC Also the loue, and hatrede, and enuye perischiden togidere; and thei han no part in this world, and in the werk that is don vndur the sunne. BSB BSB: Their love, their hate, and their envy have already vanished, and they will never again have a share in all that is done under the sun.
7 WYC Therfor go thou, iust man, and ete thi breed in gladnesse, and drynke thi wiyn with ioie; for thi werkis plesen God. BSB BSB: Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:
8 WYC In ech tyme thi clothis be white, and oile faile not fro thin heed. BSB BSB: Let your garments always be white, and never spare the oil for your head.
9 WYC Vse thou lijf with the wijf which thou louest, in alle the daies of lijf of thin vnstablenesse, that ben youun to thee vndur sunne, in al the tyme of thi vanyte; for this is thi part in thi lijf and trauel, bi which thou trauelist vndur the sunne. BSB BSB: Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun.
10 WYC Worche thou bisili, what euer thing thin hond mai do; for nether werk, nether resoun, nethir kunnyng, nether wisdom schulen be at hellis, whidir thou haastist. BSB BSB: Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
11 WYC I turnede me to another thing, and Y siy vndur sunne, that rennyng is not of swift men, nethir batel is of stronge men, nether breed is of wise men, nether richessis ben of techeris, ne grace is of crafti men; but tyme and hap is in alle thingis. BSB BSB: I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance happen to all.
12 WYC A man knowith not his ende; but as fischis ben takun with an hook, and as briddis ben takun with a snare, so men ben takun in yuel tyme, whanne it cometh sudeynli on hem. BSB BSB: For surely no man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them.
13 WYC Also Y siy this wisdom vndur the sunne, and Y preuede it the mooste. BSB BSB: I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it was great to me:
14 WYC A litil citee, and a fewe men ther ynne; a greet kyng cam ayens it, and cumpasside it with palis, and he bildide strengthis bi cumpas; and bisegyng was maad perfit. BSB BSB: There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.
15 WYC And a pore man and a wijs was foundun ther ynne; and he delyuerede the citee bi his wisdom, and no man bithouyte aftirward on that pore man. BSB BSB: Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.
16 WYC And Y seide, that wisdom is betere than strengthe; hou therfor is the wisdom of a pore man dispisid, and hise wordis ben not herd? BSB BSB: And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”
17 WYC The wordis of wise men ben herd in silence, more than the cry of a prince among foolis. BSB BSB: The calm words of the wise are heeded over the shouts of a ruler among fools.
18 WYC Betere is wisdom than armuris of batel; and he that synneth in o thing, schal leese many goodis. BSB BSB: Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.