Job 29
1 Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:
Also Joob addide, takynge his parable, and seide,
2 O that I were as in months past, In the days when God was my guardian;
Who yyueth to me, that I be bisidis the elde monethis, bi the daies in whiche God kepte me?
3 When his lamp shined over my head, And when by his light I walked through darkness!
Whanne his lanterne schynede on myn heed, and Y yede in derknessis at his liyt.
4 As I was in the autumn of my days, When the friendship of God was over my tent;
As Y was in the daies of my yongthe, whanne in priuete God was in my tabernacle.
5 When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were around me;
Whanne Almyyti God was with me, and my children weren in my cumpas;
6 When I bathed my steps in milk, And the rock poured me out rivers of oil!
whanne Y waischide my feet in botere, and the stoon schedde out to me the stremes of oile;
7 When I went forth to the gate by the city, And took my seat in the market-place,
whanne Y yede forth to the yate of the citee, and in the street thei maden redi a chaier to me.
8 The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged arose and stood.
Yonge men, `that is, wantoun, sien me, and weren hid, and elde men risynge vp stoden;
9 The princes refrained from speaking, And laid their hand upon their mouth.
princes ceessiden to speke, and puttiden the fyngur on her mouth;
10 The nobles held their peace, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
duykis refreyneden her vois, and her tunge cleuyde to her throte.
11 When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; And when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me.
An eere herynge blesside me, and an iye seynge yeldide witnessyng to me;
12 For I delivered the poor, when they cried; And the fatherless, who had none to help him.
for Y hadde delyueride a pore man criynge, and a fadirles child, that hadde noon helpere.
13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, And I caused the heart of the widow to sing for joy.
The blessyng of a man `to perische cam on me, and Y coumfortide the herte of a widewe.
14 I clothed myself with righteousness, and it clothed itself with me; And justice was my robe and diadem.
Y was clothid with riytfulnesse; and Y clothide me as with a cloth, and with my `doom a diademe.
15 I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame;
Y was iye `to a blynde man, and foot to a crokyd man.
16 I was a father to the poor, And the cause of him I knew not I searched out;
Y was a fadir of pore men; and Y enqueride most diligentli the cause, which Y knew not.
17 And I broke the teeth of the wicked, And plucked the spoil from his jaws.
Y al tobrak the grete teeth of the wickid man, and Y took awei prey fro hise teeth.
18 Then said I, “I shall die in my nest; I shall multiply my 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 spread abroad to the waters, And the dew abideth on my branches.
My roote is openyde bisidis watris, and deew schal dwelle in my repyng.
20 My glory is fresh with me, And my bow gathereth strength in my hand.”
My glorie schal euere be renulid, and my bouwe schal be astorid in myn hond.
21 To me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.
Thei, that herden me, abiden my sentence; and thei weren ententif, and weren stille to my counsel.
22 To my words they made no reply, When my speech dropped down upon them.
Thei dursten no thing adde to my wordis; and my speche droppide on hem.
23 Yea, they waited for me as for the rain; They opened their mouths wide as for the latter rain.
Thei abididen me as reyn; and thei openyden her mouth as to the softe reyn `comynge late.
24 If I smiled upon them, they believed it not; Nor did they cause the light of my countenance 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 When I came among them, I sat as chief; I dwelt as a king in the midst of an army, As a comforter among 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.
