Job 20
1 Then Sophar the Naamathite answered, and said:
Forsothe Sophar Naamathites answeride, and seide,
2 Therefore various thoughts succeed one another in me, and my mind is hurried away to different things.
Therfor my thouytis dyuerse comen oon aftir anothir; and the mynde is rauyischid in to dyuerse thingis.
3 The doctrine with which thou reprovest me, I will hear, and the spirit of my understanding shall answer for me.
Y schal here the techyng, bi which thou repreuest me; and the spirit of myn vndurstondyng schal answere me.
4 This I know from the beginning, since man was placed upon the earth,
Y woot this fro the bigynnyng, sithen man was set on erthe,
5 That the praise of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment.
that the preisyng of wickid men is schort, and the ioie of an ypocrite is at the licnesse of a poynt.
6 If his pride mount up even to heaven, and his head touch the clouds:
Thouy his pride `stieth in to heuene, and his heed touchith the cloudis,
7 In the end he shall be destroyed like a dunghill, and they that has seen him shall say: Where is he?
he schal be lost in the ende, as a dunghil; and, thei that sien hym, schulen seie, Where is he?
8 As a dream that fleeth away he shall not be found, he shall pass as a vision of the night:
As a dreem fleynge awei he schal not be foundun; he schal passe as `a nyytis siyt.
9 The eyes that had seen him, shall see him no more, neither shall his place any more behold him.
The iye that siy hym schal not se; and his place schal no more biholde him.
10 His children shall be oppressed with want, and his hands shall render him his sorrow.
Hise sones schulen be `al to-brokun with nedynesse; and hise hondis schulen yelde to hym his sorewe.
11 His bones shall be filled with the vices of his youth, and they shall sleep with him in the dust.
Hise boonys schulen be fillid with the vices of his yong wexynge age; and schulen slepe with hym in dust.
12 For when evil shall be sweet in his mouth, he will hide it under his tongue.
For whanne yuel was swete in his mouth, he hidde it vndur his tunge.
13 He will spare it, and not leave it, and will hide it in his throat.
He schal spare it, and schal not forsake it; and schal hide in his throte.
14 His bread in his belly shall be turned into the gall of asps within him.
His breed in his wombe schal be turned in to galle of snakis withynne.
15 The riches which he hath swallowed; he shall vomit up, and God shall draw them out of his belly.
He schal spue out the richessis, whiche he deuouride; and God schal drawe tho ritchessis out of his wombe.
16 He shall suck the head of asps, and the viper’s tongue shall kill him.
He schal souke the heed of snakis; and the tunge of an addre schal sle hym.
17 (Let him not see the streams of the river, the brooks of honey and of butter.)
Se he not the stremys of the flood of the stronde, of hony, and of botere.
18 He shall be punished for all that he did, and yet shall not be consumed: according to the multitude of his devices so also shall he suffer.
He schal suffre peyne for alle thingis whiche he hath do, netheles he schal not be wastid; aftir the multitude of his fyndyngis, so and `he schal suffre.
19 Because he broke in and stripped the poor: he hath violently taken away a house which he did not build.
For he brake, and made nakid the hows of a pore man; he rauyschide, and bildide it not.
20 And yet his belly was not filled: and when he hath the things he coveted, he shall not be able to possess them.
And his wombe was not fillid; and whanne he hath that, that he couetide, he may not holde in possessioun.
21 There was nothing left of his meat, and therefore nothing shall continue of his goods:
`No thing lefte of his mete; and therfor no thing schal dwelle of his goodis.
22 When he shall be filled, he shall be straitened, he shall burn, and every sorrow shall fall upon him.
Whanne he is fillid, he schal be maad streit; he schal `be hoot, and alle sorewe schal falle in on hym.
23 May his belly be filled, that God may send forth the wrath of his indignation upon him, and rain down his war upon him.
`Y wolde, that his wombe be fillid, that he sende out in to hym the ire of his strong veniaunce, and reyne his batel on hym.
24 He shall flee from weapons of iron, and shall fall upon a bow of brass.
He schal fle yrun armuris, and he schal falle in to a brasun boowe.
25 The sword is drawn out, and cometh forth from its scabbard, and glittereth in his bitterness: the terrible ones shall go and come upon him.
Led out, and goynge out `of his schethe, and schynynge, `ether smytinge with leit, `in to his bittirnesse; orrible fendis schulen go, and schulen come on hym.
26 All darkness is hid in his secret places: a fire that is not kindled shall devour him, he shall be afflicted when left in his tabernacle.
Alle derknessis ben hid in hise priuytees; fier, which is not teendid, schal deuoure hym; he schal be turmentid left in his tabernacle.
27 The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against him.
Heuenes schulen schewe his wickidnesse; and erthe schal rise togidere ayens hym.
28 The offspring of his house shall be exposed, he shall be pulled down in the day of God’s wrath.
The seed of his hows schal be opyn; it schal be drawun doun in the dai of the strong veniaunce of the Lord.
29 This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the inheritance of his doings from the Lord.
This is the part of a wickid man, `which part is youun of God, and the eritage of hise wordis of the Lord.
