Job 9
1 Then Job answered:
Joob answeride, and seide, Verili Y woot, that it is so,
2 “Yes, I know that it is so, but how can a mortal be righteous before God?
and that a man comparisound to God schal not be maad iust.
3 If one wished to contend with God, he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
If he wole stryue with God, he may not answere to God oon for a thousynde.
4 God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered?
He is wiys in herte, and strong in myyt; who ayenstood hym, and hadde pees?
5 He moves mountains without their knowledge and overturns them in His anger.
Which bar hillis fro o place to anothir, and thei wisten not; whiche he distriede in his strong veniaunce.
6 He shakes the earth from its place, so that its foundations tremble.
Which stirith the erthe fro his place, and the pilers therof schulen `be schakun togidere.
7 He commands the sun not to shine; He seals off the stars.
Which comaundith to the sunne, and it risith not; and he closith the sterris, as vndur a signet.
8 He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
Which aloone stretchith forth heuenes, and goith on the wawis of the see.
9 He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
Which makith Ariture, and Orionas, and Hiadas, `that is, seuene sterris, and the innere thingis of the south.
10 He does great things beyond searching out, and wonders without number.
Which makith grete thingis, and that moun not be souyt out, and wondurful thingis, of whiche is noon noumbre.
11 Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; were He to move, I would not recognize Him.
If he cometh to me, `that is, bi his grace, Y schal not se hym; if he goith awey, `that is, in withdrawynge his grace, Y schal not vndurstonde.
12 If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’
If he axith sodeynli, who schal answere to hym? ethir who may seie to hym, Whi doist thou so?
13 God does not restrain His anger; the helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him.
`God is he, whos wraththe no man may withstonde; and vndur whom thei ben bowid, that beren the world.
14 How then can I answer Him or choose my arguments against Him?
Hou greet am Y, that Y answere to hym, and speke bi my wordis with hym?
15 For even if I were right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy.
Which also schal not answere, thouy Y haue ony thing iust; but Y schal biseche my iuge.
16 If I summoned Him and He answered me, I do not believe He would listen to my voice.
And whanne he hath herd me inwardli clepynge, Y bileue not, that he hath herd my vois.
17 For He would crush me with a tempest and multiply my wounds without cause.
For in a whirlewynd he schal al to-breke me, and he schal multiplie my woundis, yhe, without cause.
18 He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness.
He grauntith not, that my spirit haue reste, and he fillith me with bittirnesses.
19 If it is a matter of strength, He is indeed mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?
If strengthe is souyt, `he is moost strong; if equyte of doom is souyt, no man dar yelde witnessynge for me.
20 Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty.
If Y wole make me iust, my mouth schal dampne me; if Y schal schewe me innocent, he schal preue me a schrewe.
21 Though I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life.
Yhe, thouy Y am symple, my soule schal not knowe this same thing; and it schal anoye me of my lijf.
22 It is all the same, and so I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
O thing is, which Y spak, he schal waste `bi deth also the innocent and wickid man.
23 When the scourge brings sudden death, He mocks the despair of the innocent.
If he betith, sle he onys, and leiye he not of the peynes of innocent men.
24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He blindfolds its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?
The erthe is youun in to the hondis of the wickid; he hilith the face of iugis; that if he is not, who therfor is?
25 My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good.
Mi daies weren swiftere than a corour; thei fledden, and sien not good.
26 They sweep by like boats of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
Thei passiden as schippis berynge applis, as an egle fleynge to mete.
27 If I were to say, ‘I will forget my complaint and change my expression and smile,’
Whanne Y seie, Y schal not speke so; Y chaunge my face, and Y am turmentid with sorewe.
28 I would still dread all my sufferings; I know that You will not acquit me.
Y drede alle my werkis, witynge that thou `woldist not spare the trespassour.
29 Since I am already found guilty, why should I labor in vain?
Sotheli if Y am also thus wickid, whi haue Y trauelid in veyn?
30 If I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye,
Thouy Y am waischun as with watris of snow, and thouy myn hondis schynen as moost cleene,
31 then You would plunge me into the pit, and even my own clothes would despise me.
netheles thou schalt dippe me in filthis, and my clothis, `that is, werkis, schulen holde me abhomynable.
32 For He is not a man like me, that I can answer Him, that we can take each other to court.
Trewli Y schal not answere a man, which is lijk me; nether that may be herd euenli with me in doom.
33 Nor is there a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon us both.
`Noon is, that may repreue euer eithir, and sette his hond in bothe.
34 Let Him remove His rod from me, so that His terror will no longer frighten me.
Do he awei his yerde fro me, and his drede make not me aferd.
35 Then I would speak without fear of Him. But as it is, I am on my own.
Y schal speke, and Y schal not drede hym; for Y may not answere dredynge.
