Job 4
1 Then spake Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:
Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
2 If one attempt a word with thee, wilt thou be offended? But who can refrain from speaking?
If we bigynnen to speke to thee, in hap thou schalt take it heuyli; but who may holde a word conseyued?
3 Behold, thou hast admonished many; Thou hast strengthened feeble hands;
Lo! thou hast tauyt ful many men, and thou hast strengthid hondis maad feynt.
4 Thy words have upheld him that was falling, And thou hast given strength to feeble knees.
Thi wordis confermyden men doutynge, and thou coumfortidist knees tremblynge.
5 But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; It toucheth thee, and thou art confounded!
But now a wounde is comun on thee, and thou hast failid; it touchide thee, and thou art disturblid.
6 Is not thy fear of God thy hope, And the uprightness of thy ways thy confidence?
Where is thi drede, thi strengthe, and thi pacience, and the perfeccioun of thi weies?
7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished being innocent? Or where have the righteous been cut off?
Y biseche thee, haue thou mynde, what innocent man perischide euere, ethir whanne riytful men weren doon awei?
8 According to what I have seen, they who plough iniquity, And sow mischief, reap the same.
Certis rathir Y siy hem, that worchen wickidnesse, and sowen sorewis,
9 By the blast of God they perish, And by the breath of his nostrils they 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 the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions are broken.
The roryng of a lioun, and the vois of a lionesse, and the teeth of `whelpis of liouns ben al to-brokun.
11 The fierce lion perisheth for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.
Tigris perischide, for sche hadde not prey; and the whelpis of a lioun ben distried.
12 A word was once secretly brought to me, And mine ear caught a whisper thereof.
Certis an hid word was seid to me, and myn eere took as theueli the veynes of priuy noise therof.
13 Amid thoughts from visions of the night, When deep sleep falleth upon men,
In the hidousnesse of `nyytis siyt, whanne heuy sleep is wont to occupie men,
14 A fear and a horror came upon me, Which made all my bones to shake.
drede and tremblyng helde me; and alle my boonys weren aferd.
15 Then a spirit passed before my face, The hair of my flesh rose on end;
And whanne the spirit `yede in my presence, the heiris of `my fleisch hadden hidousnesse.
16 It stood still, but its form I could not discern; An image was before mine eyes; There was silence, and I heard a voice:
Oon stood, whos chere Y knewe not, an ymage bifor myn iyen; and Y herde a vois as of softe wynd.
17 “Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall man be more pure 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 putteth no trust in his ministering spirits, And his angels he chargeth with frailty.
Lo! thei that seruen hym ben not stidefast; and he findith schrewidnesse in hise aungels.
19 What then are they who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who crumble to pieces, as if moth-eaten!
Hou myche more thei that dwellen in housis of cley, that han an ertheli foundement, schulen be wastyd as of a mouyte.
20 Between morning and evening are they destroyed; They perish for ever, and none regardeth it.
Fro morewtid til to euentid thei schulen be kit doun; and for no man vndurstondith, thei schulen perische with outen ende.
21 The excellency that is in them is torn away; They die before they have become wise.”
Sotheli thei, that ben residue, schulen be takun awei; thei schulen die, and not in wisdom.
