Job 5
1 Do but call: is there one that will answer thee? and to whom of the saints wilt thou turn thyself?
Therfor clepe thou, if `ony is that schal answere thee, and turne thou to summe of seyntis.
2 For vexation will prove death to a foolish man, and jealousy will slay the simple.
Wrathfulnesse sleeth `a fonned man, and enuye sleeth a litil child.
3 I have myself seen the foolish taking root; but I suddenly held his habitation as accursed.
Y siy a fool with stidefast rote, and Y curside his feirnesse anoon.
4 His children are far from help, and men crush them in the gate, with no one to deliver them.
Hise sones schulen be maad fer fro helthe, and thei schulen be defoulid in the yate, and `noon schal be that schal delyuere hem.
5 [He it is] whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber snatcheth eagerly after their substance.
Whos ripe corn an hungri man schal ete, and an armed man schal rauysche hym, and thei, that thirsten, schulen drynke hise richessis.
6 For wrong doth not come forth out of the dust, neither doth trouble grow up out of the ground;
No thing is doon in erthe with out cause, and sorewe schal not go out of the erthe.
7 But man is born unto trouble, as young birds take up their flight.
A man is borun to labour, and a brid to fliyt.
8 I, however, would have besought God, and unto God would I have committed my cause;
Wherfor Y schal biseche the Lord, and Y schal sette my speche to my God.
9 Who doth great things which are unsearchable, marvelous things till they are without number;
That makith grete thingis, and that moun not be souyt out, and wondurful thingis with out noumbre.
10 Who giveth rain upon the surface of the earth, and sendeth out waters over the face of the fields;
Which yyueth reyn on the face of erthe, and moistith alle thingis with watris.
11 To set up the lowly on high, that those who mourn may rise high to happiness;
Which settith meke men an hiy, and reisith with helthe hem that morenen.
12 [But] who frustrateth the plans of the crafty, so that their hands cannot execute their well-devised counsel;
Which distrieth the thouytis of yuel willid men, that her hondis moun not fille tho thingis that thei bigunnen.
13 Who catcheth the wise in their own craftiness; and the advise of the perverse is hastened on headlong;
Which takith cautelouse men in the felnesse `of hem, and distrieth the counsel of schrewis.
14 By day they meet with darkness, and as though it were night they grope about in the noon of day;
Bi dai thei schulen renne in to derknessis, and as in nyyt so thei schulen grope in myddai.
15 But who saveth from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty, the needy one:
Certis God schal make saaf a nedi man fro the swerd of her mouth, and a pore man fro the hond of the violent, `ethir rauynour.
16 And so cometh to the indigent hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
And hope schal be to a nedi man, but wickidnesse schal drawe togidere his mouth.
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God admonisheth: despise then not the correction of the Almighty.
Blessid is the man, which is chastisid of the Lord; therfor repreue thou not the blamyng of the Lord.
18 For he it is that woundeth, and bindeth up: he smiteth, and his hands do heal.
For he woundith, and doith medicyn; he smytith, and hise hondis schulen make hool.
19 In six distresses will he deliver thee; and in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
In sixe tribulaciouns he schal delyuere thee, and in the seuenthe tribulacioun yuel schal not touche thee.
20 In famine he redeemeth thee from death; and in war from the power of the sword.
In hungur he schal delyuere thee fro deeth, and in batel fro the power of swerd.
21 Against the scourge of the tongue shall thou he hidden; and thou needest not be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
Thou schalt be hid fro the scourge of tunge, and thou schalt not drede myseiste, `ethir wretchidnesse, whanne it cometh.
22 At destruction and famine canst thou laugh; and thou needest not have any fear of the beasts of the earth.
In distriyng maad of enemyes and in hungur thou schalt leiye, and thou schalt not drede the beestis of erthe.
23 For with the stones of the field shalt thou have thy covenant; and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
But thi couenaunt schal be with the stonys of erthe, and beestis of erthe schulen be pesible to thee.
24 And thou shalt know that there is peace in thy tent; and thou wilt look over thy habitation, and shalt miss nothing.
And thou schalt wite, that thi tabernacle hath pees, and thou visitynge thi fairnesse schalt not do synne.
25 And thou shalt know that thy seed is numerous, and thy offspring as the herbage of the earth.
And thou schalt wite also, that thi seed schal be many fold, and thi generacioun schal be as an erbe of erthe.
26 Thon wilt go in a ripe age unto the grave, as a shock of corn is carried home in its season.
In abundaunce thou schalt go in to the sepulcre, as an heep of wheete is borun in his tyme.
27 Behold this, we have searched it out, so it is: hear it, and do thou note it well for thyself.
Lo! this is so, as we han souyt; which thing herd, trete thou in minde.
