Job 21

¹ Thou schalt clepe me, and Y schal answere thee; thou schalt dresse the riyt half, that is, blis, to the werk of thin hondis. 2 Sotheli thou hast noumbrid my steppis; but spare thou my synnes. 3 Thou hast seelid as in a bagge my trespassis, but thou hast curid my wickidnesse. 4 An hil fallynge droppith doun; and a rooche of stoon is borun ouer fro his place. 5 Watris maken stoonys holowe, and the erthe is wastid litil and litil bi waischyng a wey of watir; and therfor thou schalt leese men in lijk maner. 6 Thou madist a man strong a litil, that he schulde passe with outen ende; thou schalt chaunge his face, and schalt sende hym out. 7 Whether hise sones ben noble, ether vnnoble, he schal not vndurstonde. 8 Netheles his fleisch, while he lyueth, schal haue sorewe, and his soule schal morne on hym silf. 10 Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide, 11 Whether a wise man schal answere, as spekynge ayens the wynd, and schal fille his stomac with brennyng, that is, ire? ¹² For thou repreuest hym bi wordis, which is not lijk thee, and thou spekist that, that spedith not to thee. ¹³ As myche as is in thee, thou hast avoidid drede; and thou hast take awey preyeris bifor God. ¹⁴ For wickidnesse hath tauyt thi mouth, and thou suest the tunge of blasfemeris. ¹⁵ Thi tunge, and not Y, schal condempne thee, and thi lippis schulen answere thee. ¹⁶ Whether thou art borun the firste man, and art formed bifor alle little hillis? ¹⁷ Whether thou herdist the counsel of God, and his wisdom is lower than thou? ¹⁸ What thing knowist thou, whiche we knowen not? What thing vndurstondist thou, whiche we witen not? ¹⁹ Bothe wise men and elde, myche eldre than thi fadris, ben among vs. ²⁰ Whether it is greet, that God coumforte thee? But thi schrewid wordis forbeden this. ²¹ What reisith thin herte thee, and thou as thenkynge grete thingis hast iyen astonyed? ²² What bolneth thi spirit ayens God, that thou brynge forth of thi mouth siche wordis? ²³ What is a man, that he be with out wem, and that he borun of a womman appere iust? ²⁴ Lo! noon among hise seyntis is vnchaungable, and heuenes ben not cleene in his siyt. ²⁵ How myche more a man abhomynable and vnprofitable, that drynkith wickidnesse as water? ²⁶ I schal schewe to thee, here thou me; Y schal telle to thee that, that Y siy. ²⁷ Wise men knoulechen, and hiden not her fadris. ²⁸ To whiche aloone the erthe is youun, and an alien schal not passe bi hem. ²⁹ A wickid man is proud in alle hise daies; and the noumbre of hise yeeris and of his tirauntrie is vncerteyn. ³⁰ The sown of drede is euere in hise eeris, and whanne pees is, he supposith euere tresouns. ³¹ He bileueth not that he may turne ayen fro derknessis to liyt; and biholdith aboute on ech side a swerd. ³² Whanne he stirith hym to seke breed, he woot, that the dai of derknessis is maad redi in his hond. ³³ Tribulacioun schal make hym aferd, and angwisch schal cumpas hym, as a kyng which is maad redi to batel. ³⁴ For he helde forth his hond ayens God, and he was maad strong ayens Almyyti God.