Job 29
1 And Job continued his parable and said,
Also Joob addide, takynge his parable, and seide,
2 Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;
Who yyueth to me, that I be bisidis the elde monethis, bi the daies in whiche God kepte me?
3 When his lamp shone over my head, [and] by his light I walked through darkness;
Whanne his lanterne schynede on myn heed, and Y yede in derknessis at his liyt.
4 As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret counsel of God was over my tent,
As Y was in the daies of my yongthe, whanne in priuete God was in my tabernacle.
5 When the Almighty was yet with me, my young men round about me;
Whanne Almyyti God was with me, and my children weren in my cumpas;
6 When my steps were bathed in milk, and the rock poured out beside me rivers of oil! ...
whanne Y waischide my feet in botere, and the stoon schedde out to me the stremes of oile;
7 When I went out to the gate by the city, when I prepared my seat on the broadway,
whanne Y yede forth to the yate of the citee, and in the street thei maden redi a chaier to me.
8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves; and the aged arose [and] stood up;
Yonge men, `that is, wantoun, sien me, and weren hid, and elde men risynge vp stoden;
9 Princes refrained from talking, and laid the hand on their mouth;
princes ceessiden to speke, and puttiden the fyngur on her mouth;
10 The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue cleaved to their palate.
duykis refreyneden her vois, and her tunge cleuyde to her throte.
11 When the ear heard [me], then it blessed me, and when the eye saw [me], it gave witness to me;
An eere herynge blesside me, and an iye seynge yeldide witnessyng to me;
12 For I delivered the afflicted that cried, and the fatherless who had no helper.
for Y hadde delyueride a pore man criynge, and a fadirles child, that hadde noon helpere.
13 The blessing of him that was perishing came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
The blessyng of a man `to perische cam on me, and Y coumfortide the herte of a widewe.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was as a mantle and a turban.
Y was clothid with riytfulnesse; and Y clothide me as with a cloth, and with my `doom a diademe.
15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame;
Y was iye `to a blynde man, and foot to a crokyd man.
16 I was a father to the needy, and the cause which I knew not I searched out;
Y was a fadir of pore men; and Y enqueride most diligentli the cause, which Y knew not.
17 And I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
Y al tobrak the grete teeth of the wickid man, and Y took awei prey fro hise teeth.
18 And I said, I shall die in my nest, and multiply my days as the sand;
And Y seide, Y schal die in my nest; and as a palm tre Y schal multiplie daies.
19 My root shall be spread out to the waters, and the dew will lie all night on my branch;
My roote is openyde bisidis watris, and deew schal dwelle in my repyng.
20 My glory shall be fresh in me, and my bow be renewed in my hand.
My glorie schal euere be renulid, and my bouwe schal be astorid in myn hond.
21 Unto me they listened, and waited, and kept silence for my counsel:
Thei, that herden me, abiden my sentence; and thei weren ententif, and weren stille to my counsel.
22 After my words they spoke not again, and my speech dropped upon them;
Thei dursten no thing adde to my wordis; and my speche droppide on hem.
23 And they waited for me as for the rain, and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.
Thei abididen me as reyn; and thei openyden her mouth as to the softe reyn `comynge late.
24 [If] I laughed on them, they believed [it] not; and they troubled not the serenity of my countenance.
If ony tyme Y leiyide to hem, thei bileueden not; and the liyt of my cheer felde not doun in to erthe.
25 I chose their way, and sat as chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth mourners.
If Y wolde go to hem, Y sat the firste; and whanne Y sat as kyng, while the oost stood aboute, netheles Y was comfortour of hem that morenyden.
