< Job 9 >

1 Then Job answered and said,
Joob answeride, and seide, Verili Y woot, that it is so,
2 I know of a truth that it is so: for how shall a mortal man be just before the Lord?
and that a man comparisound to God schal not be maad iust.
3 For if he would enter into judgement with him, [God] would not listen to him, so that he should answer to one of his charges of a thousand.
If he wole stryue with God, he may not answere to God oon for a thousynde.
4 For he is wise in mind, and mighty, and great: who has hardened himself against him and endured?
He is wiys in herte, and strong in myyt; who ayenstood hym, and hadde pees?
5 Who wears out the mountains, and [men] know it not: who overturns them in anger.
Which bar hillis fro o place to anothir, and thei wisten not; whiche he distriede in his strong veniaunce.
6 Who shakes the [earth] under heaven from its foundations, and its pillars totter.
Which stirith the erthe fro his place, and the pilers therof schulen `be schakun togidere.
7 Who commands the sun, and it rises not; and he seals up the stars.
Which comaundith to the sunne, and it risith not; and he closith the sterris, as vndur a signet.
8 Who alone has stretched out the heavens, and walks on the sea as on firm ground.
Which aloone stretchith forth heuenes, and goith on the wawis of the see.
9 Who makes Pleias, and Hesperus, and Arcturus, and the chambers of the south.
Which makith Ariture, and Orionas, and Hiadas, `that is, seuene sterris, and the innere thingis of the south.
10 Who does great and unsearchable things; glorious also and excellent things, innumerable.
Which makith grete thingis, and that moun not be souyt out, and wondurful thingis, of whiche is noon noumbre.
11 If ever he should go beyond me, I shall not see him: if he should pass by me, neither thus have I known [it].
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 would take away, who shall turn him back? or who shall say to him, What have you done?
If he axith sodeynli, who schal answere to hym? ethir who may seie to hym, Whi doist thou so?
13 For [if] he has turned away [his] anger, the whales under heaven have stooped under him.
`God is he, whos wraththe no man may withstonde; and vndur whom thei ben bowid, that beren the world.
14 Oh then that he would listen to me, or judge my cause.
Hou greet am Y, that Y answere to hym, and speke bi my wordis with hym?
15 For though I be righteous, he will not listen to me: I will entreat his judgement.
Which also schal not answere, thouy Y haue ony thing iust; but Y schal biseche my iuge.
16 And if I should call and he should not listen, I can’t believe that he has listened to my voice.
And whanne he hath herd me inwardli clepynge, Y bileue not, that he hath herd my vois.
17 Let him not crush me with a dark storm: but he has made by bruises many without cause.
For in a whirlewynd he schal al to-breke me, and he schal multiplie my woundis, yhe, without cause.
18 For he suffers me not to take breath, but he has filled me with bitterness.
He grauntith not, that my spirit haue reste, and he fillith me with bittirnesses.
19 For indeed he is strong in power: who then shall resist his judgement?
If strengthe is souyt, `he is moost strong; if equyte of doom is souyt, no man dar yelde witnessynge for me.
20 For though I should seem righteous, my mouth will be profane: and though I should seem blameless, I shall be proved perverse.
If Y wole make me iust, my mouth schal dampne me; if Y schal schewe me innocent, he schal preue me a schrewe.
21 For even if I have sinned, I know it not [in] my soul: but my life is taken away.
Yhe, thouy Y am symple, my soule schal not knowe this same thing; and it schal anoye me of my lijf.
22 Therefore I said, Wrath slays the great and mighty man.
O thing is, which Y spak, he schal waste `bi deth also the innocent and wickid man.
23 For the worthless die, but the righteous are laughed to scorn.
If he betith, sle he onys, and leiye he not of the peynes of innocent men.
24 For they are delivered into the hands of the unrighteous [man]: he covers the faces of the judges [of the earth]: but if it be not he, 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 But my life is swifter than a post: [my days] have fled away, and they knew it not.
Mi daies weren swiftere than a corour; thei fledden, and sien not good.
26 Or again, is there a trace of [their] path [left] by ships? or is there one of the flying eagle as it seeks [its] prey?
Thei passiden as schippis berynge applis, as an egle fleynge to mete.
27 And if I should say, I will forget to speak, I will bow down my face and groan;
Whanne Y seie, Y schal not speke so; Y chaunge my face, and Y am turmentid with sorewe.
28 I quake in all my limbs, for I know that you will not leave me alone [as] innocent.
Y drede alle my werkis, witynge that thou `woldist not spare the trespassour.
29 But since I am ungodly, why have I not died?
Sotheli if Y am also thus wickid, whi haue Y trauelid in veyn?
30 For if I should wash myself with snow, and purge myself with pure hands,
Thouy Y am waischun as with watris of snow, and thouy myn hondis schynen as moost cleene,
31 you had thoroughly plunged me in filth, and my garment had abhorred me.
netheles thou schalt dippe me in filthis, and my clothis, `that is, werkis, schulen holde me abhomynable.
32 For you are not man like me, with whom I could contend, that we might come together to judgement.
Trewli Y schal not answere a man, which is lijk me; nether that may be herd euenli with me in doom.
33 Would that [he] our mediator were [present], and a reprover, and one who should hear [the cause] between both.
`Noon is, that may repreue euer eithir, and sette his hond in bothe.
34 Let him remove [his] rod from me, and let not his fear terrify me:
Do he awei his yerde fro me, and his drede make not me aferd.
35 so shall I not be afraid, but I will speak: for I am not thus conscious [of guilt].
Y schal speke, and Y schal not drede hym; for Y may not answere dredynge.

< Job 9 >