Job 4
1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answers and says:
Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
2 “Has one tried a word with you? You are weary! And who is able to keep in words?
If we bigynnen to speke to thee, in hap thou schalt take it heuyli; but who may holde a word conseyued?
3 Behold, you have instructed many, And feeble hands you make strong.
Lo! thou hast tauyt ful many men, and thou hast strengthid hondis maad feynt.
4 Your words raise up the stumbling one, And you strengthen bowing knees.
Thi wordis confermyden men doutynge, and thou coumfortidist knees tremblynge.
5 But now, it comes to you, And you are weary; It strikes to you, and you are troubled.
But now a wounde is comun on thee, and thou hast failid; it touchide thee, and thou art disturblid.
6 Is your reverence not your confidence? Your hope—the perfection of your ways?
Where is thi drede, thi strengthe, and thi pacience, and the perfeccioun of thi weies?
7 Now remember, Who, being innocent, has perished? And where have the upright been cut off?
Y biseche thee, haue thou mynde, what innocent man perischide euere, ethir whanne riytful men weren doon awei?
8 As I have seen—plowers of iniquity, And sowers of misery, reap it!
Certis rathir Y siy hem, that worchen wickidnesse, and sowen sorewis,
9 From the breath of God they perish, And from the spirit of His anger [are] consumed.
and repen tho, to haue perischid bi God blowynge, and to be wastid bi the spirit of his ire.
10 The roaring of a lion, And the voice of a fierce lion, And teeth of young lions have been broken.
The roryng of a lioun, and the vois of a lionesse, and the teeth of `whelpis of liouns ben al to-brokun.
11 An old lion is perishing without prey, And the whelps of the lioness separate.
Tigris perischide, for sche hadde not prey; and the whelpis of a lioun ben distried.
12 And a thing is secretly brought to me, And my ear receives a little of it.
Certis an hid word was seid to me, and myn eere took as theueli the veynes of priuy noise therof.
13 In thoughts from visions of the night, In the falling of deep sleep on men,
In the hidousnesse of `nyytis siyt, whanne heuy sleep is wont to occupie men,
14 Fear has met me, and trembling, And the multitude of my bones caused to fear.
drede and tremblyng helde me; and alle my boonys weren aferd.
15 And a spirit passes before my face, The hair of my flesh stands up;
And whanne the spirit `yede in my presence, the heiris of `my fleisch hadden hidousnesse.
16 It stands, and I do not discern its aspect, A likeness [is] before my eyes, Silence! And I hear a voice:
Oon stood, whos chere Y knewe not, an ymage bifor myn iyen; and Y herde a vois as of softe wynd.
17 Is mortal man more righteous than God? Is a man cleaner than his Maker?
Whether a man schal be maad iust in comparisoun of God? ethir whethir a man schal be clennere than his Makere?
18 Behold, He puts no credence in His servants, Nor sets praise in His messengers.
Lo! thei that seruen hym ben not stidefast; and he findith schrewidnesse in hise aungels.
19 Also—the inhabitants of houses of clay (Whose foundation [is] in the dust, They bruise them before a moth).
Hou myche more thei that dwellen in housis of cley, that han an ertheli foundement, schulen be wastyd as of a mouyte.
20 From morning to evening are beaten down, Without any regarding, they perish forever.
Fro morewtid til to euentid thei schulen be kit doun; and for no man vndurstondith, thei schulen perische with outen ende.
21 Has their excellence not been removed with them? They die, and not in wisdom!”
Sotheli thei, that ben residue, schulen be takun awei; thei schulen die, and not in wisdom.
