Wisdom 2

¹ for thi conscience woot, that also thou hast cursid ofte othere men. ² 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; ³ and the depthe is hiy, who schal fynde it? ⁴ 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. ⁵ 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. ⁶ Lo! Y foond this, seide Ecclesiastes, oon and other, that Y schulde fynde resoun, which my soule sekith yit; ⁷ and Y foond not. I foond o man of a thousynde; Y foond not a womman of alle. ⁸ 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? ¹⁰ The wisdom of a man schyneth in his cheer; and the myytieste schal chaunge his face. ¹¹ I kepe the mouth of the kyng, and the comaundementis and sweryngis of God. ¹² 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; ¹³ and his word is ful of power, and no man mai seie to hym, Whi doist thou so? ¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ Tyme and cesoun is to ech werk; and myche turment is of a man, ¹⁶ for he knowith not thingis passid, and he mai not knowe bi ony messanger thingis to comynge. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ Forsothe for the sentence is not brouyt forth soone ayens yuele men, the sones of men doon yuels with outen ony drede. ²¹ 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. ²² 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. ²³ 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. ²⁴ 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.