Job 38
1 Then answered the Lord vnto Iob out of the whirle winde, and said,
Forsothe the Lord answeride fro the whirlewynd to Joob,
2 Who is this that darkeneth the counsell by wordes without knowledge?
and seide, Who is this man, wlappynge sentences with vnwise wordis?
3 Girde vp nowe thy loynes like a man: I will demande of thee and declare thou vnto me.
Girde thou as a man thi leendis; Y schal axe thee, and answere thou to me.
4 Where wast thou when I layd the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast vnderstanding,
Where were thou, whanne Y settide the foundementis of erthe? schewe thou to me, if thou hast vndurstondyng.
5 Who hath layde the measures thereof, if thou knowest, or who hath stretched the line ouer it:
Who settide mesures therof, if thou knowist? ethir who stretchide forth a lyne theronne?
6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof set: or who layed the corner stone thereof:
On what thing ben the foundementis therof maad fast? ether who sente doun the corner stoon therof,
7 When the starres of the morning praysed me together, and all the children of God reioyced:
whanne the morew sterris herieden me togidere, and alle the sones of God sungun ioyfuli?
8 Or who hath shut vp the Sea with doores, when it yssued and came foorth as out of the wombe:
Who closide togidere the see with doris, whanne it brak out comynge forth as of the wombe?
9 When I made the cloudes as a couering thereof, and darkenesse as the swadeling bands thereof:
Whanne Y settide a cloude the hilyng therof, and Y wlappide it with derknesse, as with clothis of yong childhed.
10 When I stablished my commandement vpon it, and set barres and doores,
Y cumpasside it with my termes, and Y settide a barre, and doris;
11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther, and here shall it stay thy proude waues.
and Y seide, `Til hidur thou schalt come, and thou schalt not go forth ferthere; and here thou schalt breke togidere thi bolnynge wawis.
12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy dayes? hast thou caused the morning to knowe his place,
Whethir aftir thi birthe thou comaundist to the bigynnyng of dai, and schewidist to the morewtid his place?
13 That it might take hold of the corners of the earth, and that the wicked might be shaken out of it?
Whethir thou heldist schakynge togidere the laste partis of erthe, and schakedist awei wickid men therfro?
14 It is turned as clay to facion, and all stand vp as a garment.
A seeling schal be restorid as cley, and it schal stonde as a cloth.
15 And from the wicked their light shall be taken away, and the hie arme shalbe broken.
The liyt of wickid men schal be takun awey fro hem, and an hiy arm schal be brokun.
16 Hast thou entred into the bottomes of the sea? or hast thou walked to seeke out the depth?
Whethir thou entridist in to the depthe of the see, and walkidist in the laste partis of the occian?
17 Haue the gates of death bene opened vnto thee? or hast thou seene the gates of the shadowe of death?
Whether the yatis of deeth ben openyd to thee, and `siest thou the derk doris?
18 Hast thou perceiued the breadth of the earth? tell if thou knowest all this.
Whethir thou hast biholde the brede of erthe? Schewe thou to me, if thou knowist alle thingis,
19 Where is the way where light dwelleth? and where is the place of darkenesse,
in what weie the liyt dwellith, and which is the place of derknesse;
20 That thou shouldest receiue it in the boundes thereof, and that thou shouldest knowe the paths to the house thereof?
that thou lede ech thing to hise termes, and thou vndurstonde the weies of his hows.
21 Knewest thou it, because thou wast then borne, and because the nomber of thy dayes is great?
Wistist thou thanne, that thou schuldist be borun, and knew thou the noumbre of thi daies?
22 Hast thou entred into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seene the treasures of ye haile,
Whethir thou entridist in to the tresours of snow, ether biheldist thou the tresours of hail?
23 Which I haue hid against the time of trouble, against the day of warre and battell?
whiche thingis Y made redy in to the tyme of an enemy, in to the dai of fiytyng and of batel.
24 By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the East winde vpon the earth?
Bi what weie is the liyt spred abrood, heete is departid on erthe?
25 Who hath deuided the spowtes for the raine? or the way for the lightning of ye thunders,
Who yaf cours to the strongeste reyn,
26 To cause it to raine on the earth where no man is, and in the wildernes where there is no man?
and weie of the thundur sownynge? That it schulde reyne on the erthe with out man in desert, where noon of deedli men dwellith?
27 To fulfil the wilde and waste place, and to cause the bud of the herbe to spring forth?
That it schulde fille a lond with out weie and desolat, and schulde brynge forth greene eerbis?
28 Who is the father of the rayne? or who hath begotten the droppes of the dewe?
Who is fadir of reyn, ether who gendride the dropis of deew?
29 Out of whose wombe came the yee? who hath ingendred the frost of the heauen?
Of whos wombe yede out iys, and who gendride frost fro heuene?
30 The waters are hid as with a stone: and the face of the depth is frosen.
Watris ben maad hard in the licnesse of stoon, and the ouer part of occian is streyned togidere.
31 Canst thou restraine the sweete influences of the Pleiades? or loose the bandes of Orion?
Whether thou schalt mowe ioyne togidere schynynge sterris Pliades, ethir thou schalt mowe distrie the cumpas of Arturis?
32 Canst thou bring foorth Mazzaroth in their time? canst thou also guide Arcturus with his sonnes?
Whether thou bryngist forth Lucifer, `that is, dai sterre, in his tyme, and makist euene sterre to rise on the sones of erthe?
33 Knowest thou the course of heauen, or canst thou set the rule thereof in the earth?
Whether thou knowist the ordre of heuene, and schalt sette the resoun therof in erthe?
34 Canst thou lift vp thy voice to the cloudes that the aboundance of water may couer thee?
Whethir thou schalt reise thi vois in to a cloude, and the fersnesse of watris schal hile thee?
35 Canst thou sende the lightenings that they may walke, and say vnto thee, Loe, heere we are?
Whethir thou schalt sende leitis, and tho schulen go, and tho schulen turne ayen, and schulen seie to thee, We ben present?
36 Who hath put wisedome in the reines? or who hath giuen the heart vnderstanding?
Who puttide wisdoom in the entrailis of man, ethir who yaf vndurstondyng to the cok?
37 Who can nomber cloudes by wisedome? or who can cause to cease the bottels of heaue,
Who schal telle out the resoun of heuenes, and who schal make acordyng of heuene to sleep?
38 When the earth groweth into hardnesse, and the clottes are fast together?
Whanne dust was foundid in the erthe, and clottis weren ioyned togidere?
39 Wilt thou hunt the pray for the lyon? or fill the appetite of the lyons whelpes,
Whether thou schalt take prey to the lionesse, and schalt fille the soulis of hir whelpis,
40 When they couch in their places, and remaine in the couert to lye in waite?
whanne tho liggen in caues, and aspien in dennes?
41 Who prepareth for the rauen his meate, when his birdes crie vnto God, wandering for lacke of meate?
Who makith redi for the crowe his mete, whanne hise briddis crien to God, and wandren aboute, for tho han not meetis?
