Job 29
1 And Job adds to lift up his allegory and says:
Also Joob addide, takynge his parable, and seide,
2 “Who makes me as [in] months past, As [in] the days of God’s preserving me?
Who yyueth to me, that I be bisidis the elde monethis, bi the daies in whiche God kepte me?
3 In His causing His lamp to shine on my head, By His light I walk [through] darkness.
Whanne his lanterne schynede on myn heed, and Y yede in derknessis at his liyt.
4 As I have been in days of my maturity, And the counsel of God on my tent.
As Y was in the daies of my yongthe, whanne in priuete God was in my tabernacle.
5 When yet the Mighty One [is] with me. Around me—my young ones,
Whanne Almyyti God was with me, and my children weren in my cumpas;
6 When washing my goings with butter, And the firm rock [is] with me—streams of oil.
whanne Y waischide my feet in botere, and the stoon schedde out to me the stremes of oile;
7 When I go out to the gate by the city, In a broad place I prepare my seat.
whanne Y yede forth to the yate of the citee, and in the street thei maden redi a chaier to me.
8 Youths have seen me, and they have been hidden, And the aged have risen—they stood up.
Yonge men, `that is, wantoun, sien me, and weren hid, and elde men risynge vp stoden;
9 Princes have kept in words, And they place a hand on their mouth.
princes ceessiden to speke, and puttiden the fyngur on her mouth;
10 The voice of leaders has been hidden, And their tongue has cleaved to the palate.
duykis refreyneden her vois, and her tunge cleuyde to her throte.
11 For the ear heard, and declares me blessed, And the eye has seen, and testifies [to] me.
An eere herynge blesside me, and an iye seynge yeldide witnessyng to me;
12 For I deliver the afflicted who is crying, And the fatherless who has no helper.
for Y hadde delyueride a pore man criynge, and a fadirles child, that hadde noon helpere.
13 The blessing of the perishing comes on me, And I cause the heart of the widow to sing.
The blessyng of a man `to perische cam on me, and Y coumfortide the herte of a widewe.
14 I have put on righteousness, and it clothes me, My justice as a robe and a crown.
Y was clothid with riytfulnesse; and Y clothide me as with a cloth, and with my `doom a diademe.
15 I have been eyes to the blind, And I [am] feet to the lame.
Y was iye `to a blynde man, and foot to a crokyd man.
16 I [am] a father to the needy, And the cause I have not known I search out.
Y was a fadir of pore men; and Y enqueride most diligentli the cause, which Y knew not.
17 And I break the jaw-teeth of the perverse, And from his teeth I cast away prey.
Y al tobrak the grete teeth of the wickid man, and Y took awei prey fro hise teeth.
18 And I say, I expire with my nest, And I multiply days as the sand.
And Y seide, Y schal die in my nest; and as a palm tre Y schal multiplie daies.
19 My root is open to the waters, And dew lodges on my branch.
My roote is openyde bisidis watris, and deew schal dwelle in my repyng.
20 My glory [is] fresh with me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.
My glorie schal euere be renulid, and my bouwe schal be astorid in myn hond.
21 They have listened to me, Indeed, they wait, and are silent for my counsel.
Thei, that herden me, abiden my sentence; and thei weren ententif, and weren stille to my counsel.
22 After my word they do not change, And my speech drops on them,
Thei dursten no thing adde to my wordis; and my speche droppide on hem.
23 And they wait for me as [for] rain, And they have opened wide their mouth [As] for the spring rain.
Thei abididen me as reyn; and thei openyden her mouth as to the softe reyn `comynge late.
24 I laugh at them—they give no credence, And do not cause the light of my face to fall.
If ony tyme Y leiyide to hem, thei bileueden not; and the liyt of my cheer felde not doun in to erthe.
25 I choose their way, and sit [as] head, And I dwell as a king in a troop, When he comforts mourners.”
If Y wolde go to hem, Y sat the firste; and whanne Y sat as kyng, while the oost stood aboute, netheles Y was comfortour of hem that morenyden.
