Job 19
1 Then responded Job, and said: —
Forsothe Joob answeride, and seide, Hou long turmente ye my soule,
2 How long will ye grieve my soul? or crush me with words?
and al to-breken me with wordis?
3 These ten times, have ye reviled me, Shameless ye wrong me.
Lo! ten sithis ye schenden me, and ye ben not aschamed, oppressynge me.
4 And even if indeed I have erred, with myself lodgeth mine error.
Forsothe and if Y `koude not, myn vnkynnyng schal be with me.
5 If indeed, against me, ye must needs magnify yourselves, and plead, against me, my reproach.
And ye ben reisid ayens me, and repreuen me with my schenschipis.
6 Know, then, that, God, hath overthrown me, and, within his net, enclosed me.
Nameli now vndurstonde ye, that God hath turmentid me not bi euene doom, and hath cumpassid me with hise betyngis.
7 Lo! I cry—out: Violence! but receive no answer, I cry aloud, but there is no vindication;
Lo! Y suffrynge violence schal crye, and no man schal here; Y schal crye loude, and `noon is that demeth.
8 My way, hath he walled up, that I cannot pass, and, upon my paths, hath he made darkness rest;
He bisette aboute my path, and Y may not go; and he settide derknessis in my weie.
9 My glory—from off me, hath he stripped, and hath removed the crown of my head;
He hath spuylid me of my glorye, and hath take awey the coroun fro myn heed.
10 He hath ruined me on every side, and I am gone, and he hath taken away—like a tree—my hope;
He hath distried me on ech side, and Y perischide; and he hath take awei myn hope, as fro a tre pullid vp bi the roote.
11 Yea he hath kindled against me his anger, and accounted me towards him like unto his adversaries;
His stronge veniaunce was wrooth ayens me; and he hadde me so as his enemye.
12 Together, enter his troops and have cast up, against me, their mound, and have encamped all around my tent;
Hise theues camen togidere, and `maden to hem a wei bi me; and bisegiden my tabernacle in cumpas.
13 My Brethren—from beside me, hath he moved far away, and, mine acquaintance, are wholly estranged from me;
He made fer my britheren fro me; and my knowun as aliens yeden awei fro me.
14 Failed me, have my near of kin, and, mine intimate acquaintances, have forgotten me;
My neiyboris forsoken me; and thei that knewen me han foryete me.
15 Ye guests of my house and my maidens, A stranger, have ye accounted me, An alien, have I become in their eyes;
The tenauntis of myn hows, and myn handmaydis hadden me as a straunger; and Y was as a pilgrym bifor her iyen.
16 To mine own servant, I called, and he would not answer, With mine own mouth, I kept entreating him;
Y clepide my seruaunt, and he answeride not to me; with myn owne mouth Y preiede hym.
17 My breath, is strange to my wife, and I am loathsome to the sons of my own mother;
My wijf wlatide my breeth; and Y preiede the sones of my wombe.
18 Even young children, despise me, I rise up, and they speak against me;
Also foolis dispisiden me; and whanne Y was goon awei fro hem, thei bacbitiden me.
19 All the men of mine intimate circle abhor me, and, these whom I loved, have turned against me;
Thei, that weren my counselouris sum tyme, hadden abhomynacioun of me; and he, whom Y louede moost, was aduersarie to me.
20 Unto my skin and unto my flesh, have my bones cleaved, and I have escaped with the akin of my teeth.
Whanne fleischis weren wastid, my boon cleuyde to my skyn; and `oneli lippis ben left aboute my teeth.
21 Pity me! pity me! ye, my friends, for, the hand of GOD, hath stricken me!
Haue ye merci on me, haue ye merci on me, nameli, ye my frendis; for the hond of the Lord hath touchid me.
22 Wherefore should ye persecute me as GOD? and, with my flesh, should not he satisfied?
Whi pursuen ye me, as God pursueth; and ben fillid with my fleischis?
23 Oh, then, that my words, could be written, Oh that, in a record, they could be inscribed:
Who yyueth to me, that my wordis be writun? Who yyueth to me,
24 That, with a stylus of iron and [with] lead, for all time—in the rock, they could be graven!
that tho be writun in a book with an yrun poyntil, ethir with a plate of leed; ethir with a chisel be grauun in a flynt?
25 But, I, know that, my redeemer, liveth, and, as the Last over [my] dust, will he arise;
For Y woot, that myn ayenbiere lyueth, and in the laste dai Y schal rise fro the erthe;
26 And, though, after my skin is struck off, this [followeth], yet, apart from my flesh, shall I see GOD:
and eft Y schal be cumpassid with my skyn, and in my fleisch Y schal se God, my sauyour.
27 Whom, I myself, shall see, on my side, and, mine own eyes, [shall] have looked upon, and not those of a stranger. Exhausted are my deepest desires in my bosom!
Whom Y my silf schal se, and myn iyen schulen biholde, and not an other man. This myn hope is kept in my bosum.
28 Surely ye should say—Why should we persecute him? seeing, the root of the matter, is found in me.
Whi therfor seien ye now, Pursue we hym, and fynde we the roote of a word ayens hym?
29 Be ye afraid—on your part—of the face of the sword, because, wrath, [bringeth] the punishments of the sword, to the end ye may know the Almighty.
Therfor fle ye fro the face of the swerd; for the swerd is the vengere of wickidnessis, and wite ye, that doom schal be.
