Job 34
1 Then Elihu continued:
And Helyu pronounside, and spak also these thingis,
2 “You [three] men who [think that you] [SAR] are very wise, hear me; listen to what I am saying, you men who [say that you] know so much.
Wise men, here ye my wordis, and lerned men, herkne ye me; for the eere preueth wordis,
3 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 the throte demeth metis bi taast.
4 We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
Chese we doom to vs; and se we among vs, what is the betere.
5 Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
For Job seide, Y am iust, and God hath distried my doom.
6 Even though I have always done what is right, he is lying about me. Even though I have not done what is wrong, he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die.’
For whi lesynge is in demynge me, and myn arowe is violent with out ony synne.
7 (Is there any person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water?/There is no person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water.) [RHQ]
Who is a man, as Joob is, that drynkith scornyng as watir?
8 He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.
that goith with men worchynge wickidnesse, and goith with vnfeithful men?
9 He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
For he seide, A man schal not plese God, yhe, thouy he renneth with God.
10 “So, you men who [claim that you] understand everything, listen to me! Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong [DOU]!
Therfor ye men hertid, `that is, vndurstonde, here ye me; vnpite, `ethir cruelte, be fer fro God, and wickidnesse fro Almyyti God.
11 He (pays back/punishes) people for what they have done; he gives them what they deserve for the way that they have conducted their lives.
For he schal yelde the werk of man to hym; and bi the weies of ech man he schal restore to hym.
12 Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
For verili God schal not condempne with out cause; nether Almyyti God schal distrie doom.
13 The authority that he has to rule everything on the earth, no one [RHQ] gave it to him; no one [RHQ] put him in control of the whole world. [He has always had that authority].
What othere man hath he ordeyned on the lond? ether whom hath he set on the world, which he made?
14 If he would take his spirit back to himself,
If God dressith his herte to hym, he schal drawe to hym silf his spirit and blast.
15 everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
Ech fleisch schal faile togidere; `and a man schal turne ayen in to aisch.
16 “So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.
Therfor if thou hast vndurstondyng, here thou that that is seid, and herkne the vois of my speche.
17 God could certainly not [RHQ] govern the world if he hated doing what is fair/just. So, will you condemn God, who is righteous and powerful, [saying that what he has done is wrong]?
Whether he that loueth not doom may be maad hool? and hou condempnest thou so myche him, that is iust?
18 He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.
Which seith to the kyng, Thou art apostata; which clepith the duykis vnpitouse, `ethir vnfeithful.
19 He does not favor rulers [more than he favors others]; he does not favor rich people more than poor people, because he created all of them.
`Which takith not the persoones of princes, nether knew a tyraunt, whanne he stryuede ayens a pore man; for alle men ben the werk of hise hondis.
20 People [often] die suddenly; he strikes them at midnight and they die; he even gets rid of mighty people without the help of any humans [SYN].
Thei schulen die sudeynli, and at mydnyyt puplis schulen be troblid, `ethir schulen be bowid, as othere bookis han; and schulen passe, and schulen take `awei `a violent man with out hond.
21 “He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.
For the iyen of God ben on the weies of men, and biholdith alle goyngis of hem.
22 There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.
No derknessis ben, and no schadewe of deeth is, that thei, that worchen wickidnesse, be hid there;
23 God does not [need to] set a time when we will stand in front of him in order that he may judge us. [He can judge us whenever he wants to].
for it is `no more in the power of man, that he come to God in to doom.
24 He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.
God schal al to-breke many men and vnnoumbrable; and schal make othere men to stonde for hem.
25 Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
For he knowith the werkis of hem; therfor he schal brynge yn niyt, and thei schulen be al to-brokun.
26 Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
He smoot hem, as vnpitouse men, in the place of seinge men.
27 he strikes them because they turned away from doing what he wanted them to do and did not pay attention to any of his commands.
Whiche yeden awei fro hym bi `castyng afore, and nolden vndurstonde alle hise weies.
28 They [mistreated] the poor people, with the result that those poor people cried out to God [for help], and he heard those afflicted people when they cried out [to him].
That thei schulden make the cry of a nedi man to come to hym, and that he schulde here the vois of pore men.
29 But if God decides to do nothing [to punish wicked people], no one can criticize/condemn him. If a godless/wicked man rules a nation, a man who tricks/deceives the people,
For whanne he grauntith pees, who is that condempneth? Sithen he hidith his cheer, who is that seeth hym? And on folkis and on alle men `he hath power `to do siche thingis.
30 and if [God] hides his face [with the result that he does not see that ruler or punish him], no one will be able to prevent that ruler [from doing those things].
Which makith `a man ypocrite to regne, for the synnes of the puple.
31 “Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have been punished [for my sins], and I will not sin any more;
Therfor for Y haue spoke to God, also Y schal not forbede thee.
32 so teach/show me what [sins I have committed]; if I have done anything that is evil, I will not do it any more’?
If Y erride, teche thou me; if Y spak wickidnesse, Y schal no more adde.
33 [Job, ] you object to what God has done to you, but do you think that he will do what you want him to do? It is you who must choose [what you say to God], not I; so tell me what you are thinking about this.
Whether God axith that wickidnesse of thee, for it displeside thee? For thou hast bigunne to speke, and not Y; that if thou knowist ony thing betere, speke thou.
34 “People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,
Men vndurstondynge, speke to me; and a wise man, here me.
35 ‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’
Forsothe Joob spak folili, and hise wordis sownen not techyng.
36 I think that Job should be taken to a court and (put on trial/judged), because he answers [us his friends] like wicked men would answer.
My fadir, be Joob preuede `til to the ende; ceesse thou not fro the man of wickidnesse,
37 To add to the [other] sins that he has committed, he is rebelling [against God]; he shows us that he does not respect God [IDM], making long speeches [saying that God has punished him unjustly].”
`that addith blasfemye ouer hise synnes. Be he constreyned among vs in the meene tyme; and thanne bi hise wordis stire he God to the doom.
