Job 9
1 Job replied,
Joob answeride, and seide, Verili Y woot, that it is so,
2 “Yes, I know all that! But how can anyone be right before God?
and that a man comparisound to God schal not be maad iust.
3 If you wanted to argue with God, God could ask a thousand questions that no-one could answer.
If he wole stryue with God, he may not answere to God oon for a thousynde.
4 God is so wise and so powerful that no-one could challenge him and win.
He is wiys in herte, and strong in myyt; who ayenstood hym, and hadde pees?
5 God moves the mountains suddenly; he overturns them in his anger.
Which bar hillis fro o place to anothir, and thei wisten not; whiche he distriede in his strong veniaunce.
6 He shakes the earth, making its foundations quake.
Which stirith the erthe fro his place, and the pilers therof schulen `be schakun togidere.
7 He is the one who can command the sun not to rise and the stars not to shine.
Which comaundith to the sunne, and it risith not; and he closith the sterris, as vndur a signet.
8 He alone is the one who stretches out the heavens and walks on the waves of the sea.
Which aloone stretchith forth heuenes, and goith on the wawis of the see.
9 He made the constellations of the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the stars of the southern sky.
Which makith Ariture, and Orionas, and Hiadas, `that is, seuene sterris, and the innere thingis of the south.
10 He is the one who does incredible things that are beyond our understanding, marvelous things that are uncountable.
Which makith grete thingis, and that moun not be souyt out, and wondurful thingis, of whiche is noon noumbre.
11 But when he passes by me, I don't see him; when he moves on, he is invisible to me.
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 takes away, who can prevent him? Who is going to ask him, ‘What are you doing?’
If he axith sodeynli, who schal answere to hym? ethir who may seie to hym, Whi doist thou so?
13 God does not restrain his anger; he crushes Rahab's helpers underfoot.
`God is he, whos wraththe no man may withstonde; and vndur whom thei ben bowid, that beren the world.
14 So how much less could I answer God, or choose my words to argue with him!
Hou greet am Y, that Y answere to hym, and speke bi my wordis with hym?
15 Even though I'm right, I can't answer him. I must plead for mercy from my judge.
Which also schal not answere, thouy Y haue ony thing iust; but Y schal biseche my iuge.
16 Even if I called him to come and he responded, I don't believe he would listen to me.
And whanne he hath herd me inwardli clepynge, Y bileue not, that he hath herd my vois.
17 He pounds me with the winds of a storm; he wounds me time and again, without giving a reason.
For in a whirlewynd he schal al to-breke me, and he schal multiplie my woundis, yhe, without cause.
18 He doesn't give me a chance even to catch my breath; instead he fills my life with bitter suffering.
He grauntith not, that my spirit haue reste, and he fillith me with bittirnesses.
19 If it's a question of strength, then God is the strongest. If it's a question of justice, then who will set a time for my case?
If strengthe is souyt, `he is moost strong; if equyte of doom is souyt, no man dar yelde witnessynge for me.
20 Even though I am right, my own mouth would condemn me; even though I am innocent, he would prove me wrong.
If Y wole make me iust, my mouth schal dampne me; if Y schal schewe me innocent, he schal preue me a schrewe.
21 I am innocent! I don't care what happens to me. I hate my life!
Yhe, thouy Y am symple, my soule schal not knowe this same thing; and it schal anoye me of my lijf.
22 That's why I say, ‘It makes no difference to God. He destroys both the innocent and the wicked.’
O thing is, which Y spak, he schal waste `bi deth also the innocent and wickid man.
23 When disaster strikes suddenly he mocks the despair of the innocent.
If he betith, sle he onys, and leiye he not of the peynes of innocent men.
24 The earth has been handed over to the wicked; he blinds the eyes of the judges—if it's not him who does this, then 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 The days of my life race by like a runner, rushing past without me seeing any happiness.
Mi daies weren swiftere than a corour; thei fledden, and sien not good.
26 They pass by like fast sailing ships, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
Thei passiden as schippis berynge applis, as an egle fleynge to mete.
27 If I said to myself, ‘I will forget my complaints; I will stop crying and be happy,’
Whanne Y seie, Y schal not speke so; Y chaunge my face, and Y am turmentid with sorewe.
28 I would still be terrified at all my suffering because you, God, will not say I'm innocent.
Y drede alle my werkis, witynge that thou `woldist not spare the trespassour.
29 Since I'm condemned, what's the point in arguing?
Sotheli if Y am also thus wickid, whi haue Y trauelid in veyn?
30 Even if I wash myself with pure mountain water and clean my hands with soap,
Thouy Y am waischun as with watris of snow, and thouy myn hondis schynen as moost cleene,
31 you would toss me into a slime pit so that even my own clothes would hate me!
netheles thou schalt dippe me in filthis, and my clothis, `that is, werkis, schulen holde me abhomynable.
32 For God is not a mortal being like me, I can't defend myself or take him to court.
Trewli Y schal not answere a man, which is lijk me; nether that may be herd euenli with me in doom.
33 If only there was an arbitrator who could bring us both together!
`Noon is, that may repreue euer eithir, and sette his hond in bothe.
34 I wish God would stop beating me with his rod and terrifying me!
Do he awei his yerde fro me, and his drede make not me aferd.
35 Then I could speak up without being afraid—but since I am, I can't!”
Y schal speke, and Y schal not drede hym; for Y may not answere dredynge.
