< Job 8 >

1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
Sotheli Baldath Suytes answeride, and seide,
2 How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?
Hou longe schalt thou speke siche thingis? The spirit of the word of thi mouth is manyfold.
3 Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?
Whether God supplauntith, `ethir disseyueth, doom, and whether Almyyti God distrieth that, that is iust?
4 If thy children have sinned against him, and he hath cast them away for their transgression;
Yhe, thouy thi sones synneden ayens hym, and he lefte hem in the hond of her wickidnesse;
5 If thou wouldest seek to God early, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
netheles, if thou risist eerli to God, and bisechist `Almyyti God, if thou goist clene and riytful,
6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
anoon he schal wake fulli to thee, and schal make pesible the dwellyng place of thi ryytfulnesse;
7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
in so miche that thi formere thingis weren litil, and that thi laste thingis be multiplied greetli.
8 For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:
For whi, axe thou the formere generacioun, and seke thou diligentli the mynde of fadris.
9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow: )
For we ben men of yistirdai, and `kunnen not; for oure daies ben as schadewe on the erthe.
10 Shall they not teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?
And thei schulen teche thee, thei schulen speke to thee, and of her herte thei schulen bring forth spechis.
11 Can the rush grow without mire? can the flag grow without water?
Whether a rusche may lyue with out moysture? ethir a spier `may wexe with out watir?
12 While it is still green, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.
Whanne it is yit in the flour, nethir is takun with hond, it wexeth drie bifor alle erbis.
13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:
So the weies of alle men, that foryeten God; and the hope of an ypocrite schal perische.
14 Whose confidence shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web.
His cowardise schal not plese hym, and his trist schal be as a web of yreyns.
15 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.
He schal leene, `ether reste, on his hows, and it schal not stonde; he schal vndursette it, and it schal not rise togidere.
16 He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.
The rusche semeth moist, bifor that the sunne come; and in the risyng of the sunne the seed therof schal go out.
17 His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.
Rootis therof schulen be maad thicke on an heep of stoonys, and it schal dwelle among stoonys.
18 If he shall be destroyed from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.
If a man drawith it out of `his place, his place schal denye it, and schal seie, Y knowe thee not.
19 Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.
For this is the gladnesse of his weie, that eft othere ruschis springe out of the erthe.
20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evildoers:
Forsothe God schal not caste a wei a symple man, nethir schal dresse hond to wickid men;
21 Till he shall fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.
til thi mouth be fillid with leiytir, and thi lippis with hertli song.
22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.
Thei that haten thee schulen be clothid with schenschip; and the tabernacle of wickid men schal not stonde.

< Job 8 >