Job 2
1 And it came to pass, when on a certain day the sons of God came, and stood before the Lord, and Satan came among them, and stood in his sight,
Forsothe it was doon, whanne in sum dai the sones of God `weren comun, and stoden bifor the Lord, and Sathan `was comun among hem, and stood in his siyt,
2 That the Lord said to Satan: Whence comest thou? And he answered and said: I have gone round about the earth, and walked through it.
that the Lord seide to Sathan, Fro whennus comest thou? Which answeride, and seide, Y haue cumpassid the erthe, `and Y haue go thury it.
3 And the Lord said to Satan: Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a man simple, and upright, and fearing God, and avoiding evil, and still keeping his innocence? But thou hast moved me against him, that I should afflict him without cause.
And the Lord seide to Sathan, Whethir thou hast biholde my seruaunt Joob, that noon in erthe is lijk hym; he is a symple man, and riytful, and dredynge God, and goynge awei fro yuel, and yit holdynge innocence? `But thou hast moued me ayens him, that `Y schulde turmente hym in veyn.
4 And Satan answered, and said: Skin for skin, and all that a man hath he will give for his life:
To whom Sathan answeride, and seide, `A man schal yyue skyn for skyn, and alle thingis that he hath for his lijf;
5 But put forth thy hand, and touch his bone and his flesh, and then thou shalt gee that he will bless thee to thy face.
`ellis sende thin hond, and touche his boon and fleisch, and thanne thou schalt se, that he schal curse thee in the face.
6 And the Lord said to Satan: Behold be is in thy hand, but yet save his life.
Therfor the Lord seide to Sathan, Lo! he is in `thin hond; netheles kepe thou his lijf.
7 So Satan went forth from the presence Of the Lord, and struck Job with a very grievous ulcer, from the sole of the foot even to the top of his head:
Therfor Sathan yede out fro the face of the Lord, and smoot Joob with `a ful wickid botche fro the sole of the foot `til to his top;
8 And he took a potsherd and scraped the corrupt matter, sitting on a dunghill.
which Joob schauyde the quytere with a schelle, `and sat in the dunghil.
9 And his wife said to him: Dost thou still continue in thy simplicity? bless God and die.
Forsothe his wijf seide to hym, Dwellist thou yit in thi symplenesse? Curse thou God, and die.
10 And he said to her: Thou hast; spoken like one of the foolish women: if we have received good things at the hand of God, why should we not receive evil? In all these things Job did not sin with his lips.
And Joob seide, Thou hast spoke as oon of the fonned wymmen; if we han take goodis of the hond of the Lord, whi forsothe suffren we not yuels? In alle these thingis Joob synnede not in hise lippis.
11 Now when Job’s three friends heard all the evil that had befallen him, they came every one from his own place, Alphas the Themanite, and Baldad the Suhite, and Sophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment to come together and visit him, and comfort him.
Therfor thre frendis of Joob herden al the yuel, that hadde bifelde to hym, and camen ech man fro his place, Eliphath Temanytes, and Baldach Suythes, and Sophar Naamathites; for thei `hadden seide togidere to hem silf, that thei wolden come togidere, and visite hym, and coumforte.
12 And when they had lifted up their eyes afar off, they knew him not, and crying out they wept, and rending their garments they sprinkled dust upon their heads towards heaven.
And whanne thei hadden reisid afer `her iyen, thei knewen not hym; and thei crieden, and wepten, and to-renten her clothis, and spreynten dust on her heed `in to heuene.
13 And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no man spoke to him a word: for they saw that his grief was very great.
And thei saten with hym in the erthe seuene daies and seuene nyytis, and no man spak a word to hym; for thei sien, that his sorewe was greet.
