< Job 36 >

1 And Elihu proceeded and said,
Also Helyu addide, and spak these thingis,
2 Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I have yet words for God.
Suffre thou me a litil, and Y schal schewe to thee; for yit Y haue that, that Y schal speke for God.
3 I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Creator.
Y schal reherse my kunnyng fro the bigynnyng; and Y schal preue my worchere iust.
4 For truly my words shall be no falsehood: one perfect in knowledge is with thee.
For verili my wordis ben with out leesyng, and perfit kunnyng schal be preued to thee.
5 Lo, God is mighty, but despiseth not [any]; mighty in strength of understanding:
God castith not awei myyti men, sithen he is myyti;
6 He saveth not the wicked alive; but he doeth justice to the afflicted.
but he saueth not wickid men, and he yyueth dom to pore men.
7 He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne doth he even set them for ever; and they are exalted.
He takith not awei hise iyen fro a iust man; and he settith kyngis in seete with out ende, and thei ben reisid there.
8 And if, bound in fetters, they be held in cords of affliction,
And if thei ben in chaynes, and ben boundun with the roopis of pouert,
9 Then he sheweth them their work, and their transgressions, because they have increased.
he schal shewe to hem her werkis, and her grete trespassis; for thei weren violent, `ethir rauenours.
10 And he openeth their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.
Also he schal opene her eere, that he chastise; and he schal speke, that thei turne ayen fro wickidnesse.
11 If they hearken and serve [him], they shall accomplish their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.
If thei heren, and kepen, thei schulen fille her daies in good, and her yeris in glorie.
12 But if they hearken not, they shall pass away by the sword, and expire without knowledge.
Sotheli if thei heren not, thei schulen passe bi swerd, and thei schulen be wastid in foli.
13 But the godless in heart heap up anger; they cry not when he bindeth them:
Feyneris and false men stiren the ire of God; and thei schulen not crye, whanne thei ben boundun.
14 Their soul dieth in youth, and their life is among the unclean.
The soule of hem schal die in tempest; and the lijf of hem among `men of wymmens condiciouns.
15 But he delivereth the afflicted in his affliction, and openeth their ear in [their] oppression.
He schal delyuere a pore man fro his angwisch; and he schal opene `the eere of hym in tribulacioun.
16 Even so would he have allured thee out of the jaws of distress into a broad place, where there is no straitness; and the supply of thy table [would be] full of fatness.
Therfor he schal saue thee fro the streit mouth of the broddeste tribulacioun, and not hauynge a foundement vndur it; sotheli the rest of thi table schal be ful of fatnesse.
17 But thou art full of the judgments of the wicked: judgment and justice take hold [on thee].
Thi cause is demed as the cause of a wickid man; forsothe thou schalt resseyue thi cause and doom.
18 Because there is wrath, [beware] lest it take thee away through chastisement: then a great ransom could not avail thee.
Therfor ire ouercome thee not, that thou oppresse ony man; and the multitude of yiftis bowe thee not.
19 Will he esteem thy riches? Not gold, nor all the resources of strength!
Putte doun thi greetnesse with out tribulacioun, and putte doun alle stronge men bi strengthe.
20 Desire not the night, when peoples are cut off from their place.
Dilaie thou not nyyt, that puplis stie for hem.
21 Take heed, turn not to iniquity; for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.
Be thou war, that thou bowe not to wickidnesse; for thou hast bigunne to sue this wickidnesse aftir wretchidnesse.
22 Lo, God is exalted in his power: who teacheth as he?
Lo! God is hiy in his strengthe, and noon is lijk hym among the yyueris of lawe.
23 Who hath appointed him his way? or who hath said, Thou hast wrought unrighteousness?
Who mai seke out the weies of God? ethir who dar seie to hym, Thou hast wrouyt wickidnesse?
24 Remember that thou magnify his work, which men celebrate.
Haue thou mynde, that thou knowist not his werk, of whom men sungun.
25 All men look at it; man beholdeth [it] afar off.
Alle men seen God; ech man biholdith afer.
26 Lo, God is great, and we comprehend [him] not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.
Lo! God is greet, ouercomynge oure kunnyng; the noumbre of hise yeeris is with out noumbre.
27 For he draweth up the drops of water: they distil in rain from the vapour which he formeth,
Which takith awei the dropis of reyn; and schedith out reynes at the licnesse of floodyatis,
28 Which the skies pour down [and] drop upon man abundantly.
whiche comen doun of the cloudis, that hilen alle thingis aboue.
29 But can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, [or] the crashing of his pavilion?
If he wole stretche forthe cloudis as his tente,
30 Lo, he spreadeth his light around him, and covereth the bottom of the sea.
and leite with his liyt fro aboue, he schal hile, yhe,
31 For with them he judgeth the peoples; he giveth food in abundance.
the herris of the see. For bi these thingis he demeth puplis, and yyueth mete to many deedli men.
32 [His] hands he covereth with lightning, and commandeth it where it is to strike.
In hondis he hidith liyt; and comaundith it, that it come eft.
33 His thundering declareth concerning him; the cattle even, concerning its coming.
He tellith of it to his freend, that it is his possessioun; and that he may stie to it.

< Job 36 >