Job 39
1 Knowest thou the time when the chamois of the rock bring forth? or markest thou when the hinds do calve?
Whethir thou knowist the tyme of birthe of wielde geet in stoonys, ethir hast thou aspied hyndis bryngynge forth calues?
2 Numberest thou the months of gestation which they complete and knowest thou the time when they bring forth?
Hast thou noumbrid the monethis of her conseyuyng, and hast thou knowe the tyme of her caluyng?
3 They bend themselves: they drop their young ones; throw off their pains.
Tho ben bowid to the calf, and caluen; and senden out roryngis.
4 Their little ones become strong; they grow up in the open field; they go forth, and return not unto them.
Her calues ben departid, and goen to pasture; tho goen out, and turnen not ayen to `tho hyndis.
5 Who sent out the wild ass free? or who loosened the bonds of the forest-ass?
Who let go the wielde asse fre, and who loside the boondis of hym?
6 To whom I assigned the wilderness as his house, and the salty land as his dwellings.
To whom Y haue youe an hows in wildirnesse, and the tabernacles of hym in the lond of saltnesse.
7 He laugheth at the noise of a town, and the shoutings of the driver he heareth not.
He dispisith the multitude of citee; he herith not the cry of an axere.
8 What he espieth on the mountains is his pasture, and after every green thing doth he search.
He lokith aboute the hillis of his lesewe, and he sekith alle greene thingis.
9 Will the forest-ox be willing to serve thee, or will he stay over night at thy crib?
Whether an vnycorn schal wilne serue thee, ethir schal dwelle at thi cratche?
10 Canst thou bind the forest-ox with a rope [to labor] in the furrow? or will he harrow valleys, following after thee?
Whether thou schalt bynde the vnicorn with thi chayne, for to ere, ethir schal he breke the clottis of valeis aftir thee?
11 Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? and wilt thou leave to him thy labor?
Whether thou schalt haue trist in his grete strengthe, and schalt thou leeue to hym thi traueils?
12 Wilt thou confide in him, that he should bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy threshing-floor?—
Whether thou schalt bileue to hym, that he schal yelde seed to thee, and schal gadere togidere thi cornfloor?
13 The wing of the ostrich moveth joyfully: hath she the pinions and plumage of the careful stork?
The fethere of an ostriche is lijk the fetheris of a gerfawcun, and of an hauk;
14 [No, ] for she intrusteth her eggs to the earth, and letteth them be hatched out on the dust:
which ostrige forsakith hise eirun in the erthe, in hap thou schalt make tho hoot in the dust.
15 And she forgetteth that a foot may crush them, or that the beast of the field may stamp them down.
He foryetith, that a foot tredith tho, ethir that a beeste of the feeld al tobrekith tho.
16 He hath made her callous against her young, as though they were not hers: her labor is in vain, [but she feeleth] no dread;
He is maad hard to hise briddis, as if thei ben not hise; he traueilide in veyn, while no drede constreynede.
17 Because God hath denied her wisdom, and he hath not imparted to her understanding.
For God hath priued hym fro wisdom, and `yaf not vnderstondyng to hym.
18 At the time she raiseth herself up on high, she laugheth at the horse and his rider.
Whanne tyme is, he reisith the wengis an hiy; he scorneth the hors, and his ridere.
19 Dost thou give the horse strength? dost thou clothe his neck with the rolling mane?
Whether thou schalt yyue strengthe to an hors, ether schal yyue neiyng `aboute his necke?
20 Canst thou make him jump like a locust? his majestic snort is terrible.
Whether thou schalt reyse hym as locustis? The glorie of hise nosethirlis is drede.
21 Men spy about in the valley, and he rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth forth to meet the armed array.
He diggith erthe with the foot, he `fulli ioieth booldli; he goith ayens armed men.
22 He laugheth at fear, and is not dismayed; and turneth not back from before the sword.
He dispisith ferdfulnesse, and he yyueth not stide to swerd.
23 Over him rattle the quiver, the glittering spear and the lance.
An arowe caas schal sowne on hym; a spere and scheeld schal florische.
24 With impatient noise and rage he holloweth [with his hoof] the ground, and keepeth not quiet when the cornet's voice [is heard].
He is hoot, and gnastith, and swolewith the erthe; and he arettith not that the crie of the trumpe sowneth.
25 Midst the sound of the cornet he uttereth his joyful neigh; and from afar he perceiveth the battle, the loud call of the captains, and the battle-cry.—
Whanne he herith a clarioun, he `seith, Joie! he smellith batel afer; the excityng of duykis, and the yellyng of the oost.
26 Is it through thy understanding that the hawk flieth along, and spreadeth out his wings toward the south?
Whether an hauk spredinge abrood hise wyngis to the south, bigynneth to haue fetheris bi thi wisdom?
27 Or is it by your order that the eagle doth mount upward, and buildeth high up his nest?
Whether an egle schal be reisid at thi comaundement, and schal sette his nest in hiy places?
28 On a rock he dwelleth, and spendeth his nights, on a rocky crag and mountain fastness.
He dwellith in stoonys, and he dwellith in flyntis brokun bifor, and in rochis, to whiche `me may not neiye.
29 From there he espieth his food, from afar can his eyes behold.
Fro thennus he biholdith mete, and hise iyen loken fro fer.
30 His young ones, also, sip up blood: and where the slain be, there is he.
Hise briddis souken blood, and where euere a careyn is, anoon he is present.
