Job 4
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
2 If anyone tries to speak with you, will you be impatient? But who can stop himself from speaking?
If we bigynnen to speke to thee, in hap thou schalt take it heuyli; but who may holde a word conseyued?
3 See, you have instructed many; you have strengthened weak hands.
Lo! thou hast tauyt ful many men, and thou hast strengthid hondis maad feynt.
4 Your words have supported him who was falling; you have made feeble knees firm.
Thi wordis confermyden men doutynge, and thou coumfortidist knees tremblynge.
5 But now trouble has come to you, and you are weary; it touches you, and you are troubled.
But now a wounde is comun on thee, and thou hast failid; it touchide thee, and thou art disturblid.
6 Is not your fear your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?
Where is thi drede, thi strengthe, and thi pacience, and the perfeccioun of thi weies?
7 Think about this, please: Who has ever perished when innocent? Or when were the upright people ever 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, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap it.
Certis rathir Y siy hem, that worchen wickidnesse, and sowen sorewis,
9 By the breath of God they perish; by the blast of his anger 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, the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions—they 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 old lion perishes for lack of victims; the cubs of the lioness are scattered everywhere.
Tigris perischide, for sche hadde not prey; and the whelpis of a lioun ben distried.
12 Now a certain matter was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a whisper about it.
Certis an hid word was seid to me, and myn eere took as theueli the veynes of priuy noise therof.
13 Then came thoughts from visions in the night, when deep sleep falls on people.
In the hidousnesse of `nyytis siyt, whanne heuy sleep is wont to occupie men,
14 It was at night when fear and trembling came upon me, and all my bones shook.
drede and tremblyng helde me; and alle my boonys weren aferd.
15 Then a spirit passed before my face, and the hair of my flesh stood up.
And whanne the spirit `yede in my presence, the heiris of `my fleisch hadden hidousnesse.
16 The spirit stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, and I heard a voice that said,
Oon stood, whos chere Y knewe not, an ymage bifor myn iyen; and Y herde a vois as of softe wynd.
17 “Can a mortal man be more righteous than God? Can a 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 See, if God puts no trust in his servants; if he accuses his angels of folly,
Lo! thei that seruen hym ben not stidefast; and he findith schrewidnesse in hise aungels.
19 how much more is this true of those who live in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed sooner than a moth?
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 they are destroyed; they perish forever without anyone noticing them.
Fro morewtid til to euentid thei schulen be kit doun; and for no man vndurstondith, thei schulen perische with outen ende.
21 Are not their tent cords plucked up among them? They die; they die without wisdom.
Sotheli thei, that ben residue, schulen be takun awei; thei schulen die, and not in wisdom.
