Job 33
1 “But now, O Job, hear my speech, and listen to all my words.
Therfor, Joob, here thou my spechis, and herkene alle my wordis.
2 Behold, I will open my mouth; my address is on the tip of my tongue.
Lo! Y haue openyd my mouth, my tunge schal speke in my chekis.
3 My words are from an upright heart, and my lips speak sincerely what I know.
Of symple herte ben my wordis, and my lippis schulen speke clene sentence.
4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
The spirit of God made me, and the brething of Almyyti God quykenyde me.
5 Refute me if you can; prepare your case and confront me.
If thou maist, answere thou to me, and stoonde thou ayens my face.
6 I am just like you before God; I was also formed from clay.
Lo! God made me as and thee; and also Y am formyd of the same cley.
7 Surely no fear of me should terrify you; nor will my hand be heavy upon you.
Netheles my myracle make thee not afeerd, and myn eloquence be not greuouse to thee.
8 Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard these very words:
Therfor thou seidist in myn eeris, and Y herde the vois of thi wordis;
9 ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, with no iniquity in me.
Y am cleene, and with out gilt, and vnwemmed, and wickidnesse is not in me.
10 Yet God finds occasions against me; He counts me as His enemy.
`For God foond querels in me, therfor he demyde me enemy to hym silf.
11 He puts my feet in the stocks; He watches over all my paths.’
He hath set my feet in a stok; he kepte alle my pathis.
12 Behold, you are not right in this matter. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.
Therfor this thing it is, in which thou art not maad iust; Y schal answere to thee, that God is more than man.
13 Why do you complain to Him that He answers nothing a man asks?
Thou stryuest ayenus God, that not at alle wordis he answeride to thee.
14 For God speaks in one way and in another, yet no one notices.
God spekith onys, and the secounde tyme he rehersith not the same thing.
15 In a dream, in a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls upon men as they slumber on their beds,
God spekith bi a dreem in the visioun of nyyt, whanne sleep fallith on men, and thei slepen in the bed.
16 He opens their ears and terrifies them with warnings
Thanne he openith the eeris of men, and he techith hem, `and techith prudence;
17 to turn a man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride,
that he turne awei a man fro these thingis whiche he made, and delyuere hym fro pride; delyuerynge his soule fro corrupcioun,
18 to preserve his soul from the Pit and his life from perishing by the sword.
and his lijf, that it go not in to swerd.
19 A man is also chastened on his bed with pain and constant distress in his bones,
Also God blameth a synnere bi sorewe in the bed, and makith alle the boonys of hym `to fade.
20 so that he detests his bread, and his soul loathes his favorite food.
Breed is maad abhomynable to hym in his lijf, and mete desirable `bifor to his soule.
21 His flesh wastes away from sight, and his hidden bones protrude.
His fleisch schal faile for rot, and hise boonys, that weren hilid, schulen be maad nakid.
22 He draws near to the Pit, and his life to the messengers of death.
His soule schal neiye to corrupcioun, and his lijf to thingis `bryngynge deeth.
23 Yet if there is a messenger on his side, one mediator in a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him,
If an aungel, oon of a thousynde, is spekynge for hym, that he telle the equyte of man, God schal haue mercy on hym,
24 to be gracious to him and say, ‘Spare him from going down to the Pit; I have found his ransom,’
and schal seie, Delyuere thou hym, that he go not doun in to corrupcioun; Y haue founde in what thing Y schal do merci to hym.
25 then his flesh is refreshed like a child’s; he returns to the days of his youth.
His fleisch is wastid of turmentis; turne he ayen to the daies of his yonge wexynge age.
26 He prays to God and finds favor; he sees God’s face and shouts for joy, and God restores His righteousness to that man.
He schal biseche God, and he schal be quemeful to hym; and he schal se his face in hertly ioye, and he schal yelde to man his riytfulnesse.
27 Then he sings before men with these words: ‘I have sinned and perverted what was right; yet I did not get what I deserved.
He schal biholde men, and he schal seie, Y haue synned, and verili Y haue trespassid; and Y haue not resseyued, as Y was worthi.
28 He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and I will live to see the light.’
For he delyueride his soule, that it schulde not go in to perischyng, but that he lyuynge schulde se liyt.
29 Behold, all these things God does to a man, two or even three times,
Lo! God worchith alle these thingis in thre tymes bi alle men;
30 to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
that he ayen clepe her soulis fro corrupcioun, and liytne in the liyt of lyuynge men.
31 Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak.
Thou, Joob, perseyue, and here me, and be thou stille, the while Y speke.
32 But if you have something to say, answer me; speak up, for I would like to vindicate you.
Sotheli if thou hast what thou schalt speke, answere thou to me, speke thou; for Y wole, that thou appere iust.
33 But if not, then listen to me; be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.”
That if thou hast not, here thou me; be thou stille, and Y schal teche thee wisdom.
