Job 22
1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:
Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
2 Can a man be profitable unto God? Or can he that is wise be profitable unto Him?
Whether a man, yhe, whanne he is of perfit kunnyng, mai be comparisound to God?
3 Is it any advantage to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gain to Him, that thou makest thy ways blameless?
What profitith it to God, if thou art iust? ethir what schalt thou yyue to hym, if thi lijf is without wem?
4 Is it for thy fear of Him that He reproveth thee, that He entereth with thee into judgment?
Whether he schal drede, and schal repreue thee, and schal come with thee in to doom,
5 Is not thy wickedness great? And are not thine iniquities without end?
and not for thi ful myche malice, and thi wickidnessis with out noumbre, `these peynes bifelden iustli to thee?
6 For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
For thou hast take awei with out cause the wed of thi britheren; and hast spuylid nakid men of clothis.
7 Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
Thou yauest not watir to the feynt man; and thou withdrowist breed fro the hungri man.
8 And as a mighty man, who hath the earth, and as a man of rank, who dwelleth in it,
In the strengthe of thin arm thou haddist the lond in possessioun; and thou moost myyti heldist it.
9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
Thou leftist widewis voide; and al to-brakist the schuldris of fadirles children.
10 Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden dread affrighted thee,
Therfor thou art cumpassid with snaris; and sodeyn drede disturblith thee.
11 Or darkness, that thou canst not see, and abundance of waters cover thee.
And thou gessidist, that thou schuldist not se derknessis; and that thou schuldist not be oppressid with the fersnesse of watris flowyng.
12 Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the topmost of the stars, how high they are!
Whether thou thenkist, that God is hiyere than heuene, and is enhaunsid aboue the coppe of sterris?
13 And thou sayest: 'What doth God know? Can He judge through the dark cloud?
And thou seist, What sotheli knowith God? and, He demeth as bi derknesse.
14 Thick clouds are a covering to Him, that He seeth not; and He walketh in the circuit of heaven.'
A cloude is his hidyng place, and he biholdith not oure thingis, and he `goith aboute the herris of heuene.
15 Wilt thou keep the old way which wicked men have trodden?
Whether thou coueitist to kepe the path of worldis, which wickid men han ofte go?
16 Who were snatched away before their time, whose foundation was poured out as a stream;
Whiche weren takun awei bifor her tyme, and the flood distriede the foundement of hem.
17 Who said unto God: 'Depart from us'; and what could the Almighty do unto them?
Whiche seiden to God, Go thou awei fro vs; and as if Almyyti God may do no thing, thei gessiden hym,
18 Yet He filled their houses with good things — but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
whanne he hadde fillid her housis with goodis; the sentence of whiche men be fer fro me.
19 The righteous saw it, and were glad, and the innocent laugh them to scorn:
Iust men schulen se, and schulen be glad; and an innocent man schal scorne hem.
20 'Surely their substance is cut off, and their abundance the fire hath consumed.'
Whether the reisyng of hem is not kit doun, and fier schal deuoure the relifs of hem?
21 Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace; thereby shall thine increase be good.
Therfor assente thou to God, and haue thou pees; and bi these thingis thou schalt haue best fruytis.
22 Receive, I pray thee, instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in thy heart.
Take thou the lawe of his mouth, and sette thou hise wordis in thin herte.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up — if thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents,
If thou turnest ayen to Almyyti God, thou schalt be bildid; and thou schalt make wickidnesse fer fro thi tabernacle.
24 And lay thy treasure in the dust, and the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks;
He schal yyue a flynt for erthe, and goldun strondis for a flynt.
25 And the Almighty be thy treasure, and precious silver unto thee;
And Almyyti God schal be ayens thin enemyes; and siluer schal be gaderid togidere to thee.
26 Then surely shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.
Thanne on Almyyti God thou schalt flowe with delicis; and thou schalt reise thi face to God.
27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto Him, and He will hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows;
Thou schalt preye hym, and he schal here thee; and thou schalt yelde thi vowis.
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee, and light shall shine upon thy ways.
Thou schalt deme a thing, and it schal come to thee; and lyyt schal schyne in thi weies.
29 When they cast thee down, thou shalt say: 'There is lifting up'; for the humble person He saveth.
For he that is mekid, schal be in glorie; and he that bowith doun hise iyen, schal be saued.
30 He delivereth him that is innocent, yea, thou shalt be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands.
An innocent schal be saued; sotheli he schal be saued in the clennesse of hise hondis.
