Job 12
1 Then Job said [to his three friends],
Sotheli Joob answeride, and seide,
2 “You (talk as though/You think) [SAR] that you are the people [whom everyone should listen to], and that when you die, there will be no more wise people.
Therfor ben ye men aloone, that wisdom dwelle with you?
3 But I have as much good sense as you do; I am (not less wise than/certainly as wise as [LIT]) you. Certainly everyone knows [RHQ] all that you have said.
And to me is an herte, as and to you, and Y am not lowere than ye; for who knowith not these thingis, whiche ye knowen?
4 My friends all laugh at me now. Previously I habitually requested God to help me, and he answered/helped me. I am righteous, a very godly man [DOU], but everyone laughs at me.
He that is scorned of his frend, as Y am, schal inwardli clepe God, and God schal here hym; for the symplenesse of a iust man is scorned.
5 Those [like you] who have no troubles make fun of me; they cause those [like me] who are already suffering to have more troubles.
A laumpe is dispisid at the thouytis of riche men, and the laumpe is maad redi to a tyme ordeyned.
6 Bandits live peacefully, and no one threatens those who cause God to become angry; their own strength is the god [that they worship].
The tabernaclis of robberis ben plenteuouse, `ether ful of goodis; and boldli thei terren God to wraththe, whanne he hath youe alle thingis in to her hondis.
7 “But ask the wild animals [what they know about God], and [if they could speak] they would teach you. [If you could] ask the birds, they would tell you.
No wondur, ax thou beestis, and tho schulen teche thee; and axe thou volatilis of the eir, and tho schulen schewe to thee.
8 [If you could] ask the creatures [that crawl] on the ground, or the fish in the sea, they would tell you [about God].
Speke thou to the erthe, and it schal answere thee; and the fischis of the see schulen telle tho thingis.
9 All of them certainly know [RHQ] that it is Yahweh who has made them with his hands.
Who knowith not that the hond of the Lord made alle these thingis?
10 He directs the lives of all living creatures; he gives breath to all [us] humans [to enable us to remain alive].
In whos hond the soule is of ech lyuynge thing, and the spirit, `that is, resonable soule, of ech fleisch of man.
11 And when we [SYN] hear what other people [like you] say, we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say [to determine what is good and what is bad], like we [SYN] taste food [to determine what is good and what is bad].
Whether the eere demeth not wordis, and the chekis of the etere demen sauour?
12 Old people are [often] very wise, and because of having lived many years, they understand much,
Wisdom is in elde men, and prudence is in myche tyme.
13 but God is wise and very powerful; he has good sense and understands [everything].
Wisdom and strengthe is at God; he hath counsel and vndurstondyng.
14 If he tears [something] down, no one can rebuild it; if he puts someone in prison, no one can open [the prison doors to allow that person to escape].
If he distrieth, no man is that bildith; if he schittith in a man, `noon is that openith.
15 When he prevents rain from falling, everything dries up. When he causes a lot of rain to fall, [the result is that] there are floods.
If he holdith togidere watris, alle thingis schulen be maad drie; if he sendith out tho watris, tho schulen distrie the erthe.
16 He is the one who is truly strong and wise; he rules over those who deceive others and those whom they deceive.
Strengthe and wisdom is at God; he knowith bothe hym that disseyueth and hym that is disseyued.
17 He [sometimes] causes [the king’s] officials to no longer be wise, and he causes judges to become foolish.
And he bryngith conselours in to a fonned eende, and iugis in to wondryng, ethir astonying.
18 He takes from kings the robes that they wear and puts loincloths around their waists, [causing them to become slaves].
He vnbindith the girdil of kyngis, and girdith her reynes with a coorde.
19 He takes from priests the sacred clothes that they wear, [with the result that they no longer can do their work], and takes power from those who rule others.
He ledith her prestis with out glorie, and he disseyueth the principal men, `ethir counselours;
20 He [sometimes] causes those whom others trust to be unable to speak, and he causes old men to no longer have good sense.
and he chaungith the lippis of sothefast men, and takith awei the doctrine of elde men.
21 He causes those who have authority to be despised, and he causes those who are powerful to no longer have any power/strength.
He schedith out dispisyng on princes, and releeueth hem, that weren oppressid.
22 He causes things that are hidden in the darkness to be revealed.
Which schewith depe thingis fro derknessis; and bryngith forth in to liyt the schadewe of deeth.
23 He causes some nations to become very great, and [later] he destroys them; he causes the territory of some nations to become much larger, and [later] he causes them to be defeated and their people to be scattered.
Which multiplieth folkis, and leesith hem, and restorith hem destried in to the hool.
24 He causes [some] rulers to become foolish/stupid, and then he causes them to wander around, lost, in an barren desert.
Which chaungith the herte of princes of the puple of erthe; and disseyueth hem, that thei go in veyn out of the weie.
25 They grope around in the darkness, without any light, and he causes them to stagger like [SIM] people who are drunk.”
Thei schulen grope, as in derknessis, and not in liyt; and he schal make hem to erre as drunken men.
