Job 36
1 Elihu also proceeded, and said:
Also Helyu addide, and spak these thingis,
2 Bear with me a little while, that I may show thee! For I have yet words in behalf of God.
Suffre thou me a litil, and Y schal schewe to thee; for yit Y haue that, that Y schal speke for God.
3 I will bring my knowledge from afar, And assert the justice of my Maker.
Y schal reherse my kunnyng fro the bigynnyng; and Y schal preue my worchere iust.
4 Truly my words shall not be false: A man of sound knowledge is before thee.
For verili my wordis ben with out leesyng, and perfit kunnyng schal be preued to thee.
5 Behold, God is great, but despiseth not any; Great is he in strength of understanding.
God castith not awei myyti men, sithen he is myyti;
6 He suffereth not the wicked to prosper, But rendereth justice to the oppressed.
but he saueth not wickid men, and he yyueth dom to pore men.
7 He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous; But establisheth them for ever with kings on the throne, That they may be exalted.
He takith not awei hise iyen fro a iust man; and he settith kyngis in seete with out ende, and thei ben reisid there.
8 And if they be bound in fetters, And holden in the cords of affliction,
And if thei ben in chaynes, and ben boundun with the roopis of pouert,
9 Then showeth he them their deeds, And how they have set him at defiance by their transgressions;
he schal shewe to hem her werkis, and her grete trespassis; for thei weren violent, `ethir rauenours.
10 He also openeth their ears to admonition, And commandeth them to return from iniquity.
Also he schal opene her eere, that he chastise; and he schal speke, that thei turne ayen fro wickidnesse.
11 If they obey and serve him, They spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.
If thei heren, and kepen, thei schulen fille her daies in good, and her yeris in glorie.
12 But if they obey not, they perish by the sword; They die in their own folly.
Sotheli if thei heren not, thei schulen passe bi swerd, and thei schulen be wastid in foli.
13 The corrupt in heart treasure up wrath; They cry not to God, when he bindeth them.
Feyneris and false men stiren the ire of God; and thei schulen not crye, whanne thei ben boundun.
14 They die in their youth; They close their lives with the unclean.
The soule of hem schal die in tempest; and the lijf of hem among `men of wymmens condiciouns.
15 But he delivereth the poor in their distress; He openeth their ears in affliction.
He schal delyuere a pore man fro his angwisch; and he schal opene `the eere of hym in tribulacioun.
16 He will bring thee also from the jaws of distress To a broad place, where is no straitness; And the provision of thy table shall be full of fatness.
Therfor he schal saue thee fro the streit mouth of the broddeste tribulacioun, and not hauynge a foundement vndur it; sotheli the rest of thi table schal be ful of fatnesse.
17 But if thou art full of the judgment of the wicked, Judgment and justice shall take hold of thee.
Thi cause is demed as the cause of a wickid man; forsothe thou schalt resseyue thi cause and doom.
18 For if wrath be with him, beware lest he take thee away by his stroke, So that a great ransom shall not save thee!
Therfor ire ouercome thee not, that thou oppresse ony man; and the multitude of yiftis bowe thee not.
19 Will he esteem thy riches? No! neither thy gold, nor all the abundance of thy wealth.
Putte doun thi greetnesse with out tribulacioun, and putte doun alle stronge men bi strengthe.
20 Long not thou for that night To which nations are taken away from their place.
Dilaie thou not nyyt, that puplis stie for hem.
21 Take heed, turn not thine eyes to iniquity! For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.
Be thou war, that thou bowe not to wickidnesse; for thou hast bigunne to sue this wickidnesse aftir wretchidnesse.
22 Behold, God is exalted in his power: Who is a teacher like him?
Lo! God is hiy in his strengthe, and noon is lijk hym among the yyueris of lawe.
23 Who hath prescribed to him his way? Or who can say to him, “Thou hast done wrong”?
Who mai seke out the weies of God? ethir who dar seie to hym, Thou hast wrouyt wickidnesse?
24 Forget not to magnify his work, Which men celebrate with songs.
Haue thou mynde, that thou knowist not his werk, of whom men sungun.
25 All mankind gaze upon it; Mortals behold it from afar.
Alle men seen God; ech man biholdith afer.
26 Behold, God is great; we cannot know him, Nor search out the number of his years.
Lo! God is greet, ouercomynge oure kunnyng; the noumbre of hise yeeris is with out noumbre.
27 Lo! he draweth up the drops of water, Which distil rain from his vapor;
Which takith awei the dropis of reyn; and schedith out reynes at the licnesse of floodyatis,
28 The clouds pour it down, And drop it upon man in abundance.
whiche comen doun of the cloudis, that hilen alle thingis aboue.
29 Who can understand the spreading of his clouds, And the rattling of his pavilion?
If he wole stretche forthe cloudis as his tente,
30 Behold, he spreadeth around himself his light, And he clotheth himself with the depths of the sea.
and leite with his liyt fro aboue, he schal hile, yhe,
31 By these he punisheth nations, And by these he giveth food in abundance.
the herris of the see. For bi these thingis he demeth puplis, and yyueth mete to many deedli men.
32 His hands he covereth with lightning; He giveth it commandment against an enemy.
In hondis he hidith liyt; and comaundith it, that it come eft.
33 His thunder maketh him known; Yea, to the herds, as he ascendeth on high.
He tellith of it to his freend, that it is his possessioun; and that he may stie to it.
