Job 13
1 Lo, my eye hath seen all this, my ear hath heard and understood it.
Lo! myn iye siy alle thingis, and myn eere herde; and Y vndurstood alle thingis.
2 What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior to you.
Euene with youre kunnyng also Y kan, and Y am not lowere than ye.
3 Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.
But netheles Y schal speke to Almyyti God, and Y coueite to dispute with God;
4 But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.
and firste Y schewe you makeris of leesyng, and louyeris of weyward techyngis.
5 O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.
And `Y wolde that ye weren stille, that ye weren gessid to be wise men.
6 Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.
Therfor here ye my chastisyngis; and perseyue ye the doom of my lippis.
7 Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?
Whether God hath nede to youre leesyng, that ye speke gilis for hym?
8 Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?
Whether ye taken his face, and enforsen to deme for God?
9 Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?
Ethir it schal plese hym, fro whom no thing mai be hid? Whether he as a man schal be disseyued with youre falsnessis?
10 He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons.
He schal repreue you; for ye taken his face in hiddlis.
11 Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you?
Anoon as he schal stire hym, he schal disturble you; and his drede schal falle on you.
12 Your remembrances are like ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.
Youre mynde schal be comparisound to aische; and youre nollis schulen be dryuun in to clei.
13 Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will.
Be ye stille a litil, that Y speke, what euer thing the mynde hath schewid to me.
14 Why do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand?
Whi to-rende Y my fleischis with my teeth, and bere my lijf in myn hondis?
15 Though he shall slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will defend my own ways before him.
Yhe, thouy God sleeth me, Y schal hope in hym; netheles Y schal preue my weies in his siyt.
16 He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.
And he schal be my sauyour; for whi ech ypocrite schal not come in his siyt.
17 Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.
Here ye my word, and perseyue ye with eeris derke and harde figuratif spechis.
18 Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.
Yf Y schal be demed, Y woot that Y schal be foundun iust.
19 Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.
Who is he that is demed with me? Come he; whi am Y stille, and am wastid?
20 Only do not two things to me: then will I not hide myself from thee.
Do thou not to me twei thingis oneli; and thanne Y schal not be hid fro thi face.
21 Withdraw thy hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.
Make thin hond fer fro me; and thi drede make not me aferd.
22 Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.
Clepe thou me, and Y schal answere thee; ethir certis Y schal speke, and thou schalt answere me.
23 How many are my iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.
Hou grete synnes and wickidnessis haue Y? Schewe thou to me my felonyes, and trespassis.
24 Why hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thy enemy?
Whi hidist thou thi face, and demest me thin enemy?
25 Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?
Thou schewist thi myyt ayens a leef, which is rauyschid with the wynd; and thou pursuest drye stobil.
26 For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.
For thou writist bitternessis ayens me; and wolt waste me with the synnes of my yong wexynge age.
27 Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and observest carefully all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet.
Thou hast set my foot in a stok, and thou hast kept alle my pathis; and thou hast biholde the steppis of my feet.
28 And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment that is moth eaten.
And Y schal be wastid as rot, and as a cloth, which is etun of a mouyte.
