Job 4
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
2 [If] we essay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can refrain from speaking?
If we bigynnen to speke to thee, in hap thou schalt take it heuyli; but who may holde a word conseyued?
3 Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
Lo! thou hast tauyt ful many men, and thou hast strengthid hondis maad feynt.
4 Thy words have upheld him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.
Thi wordis confermyden men doutynge, and thou coumfortidist knees tremblynge.
5 But now it hath come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
But now a wounde is comun on thee, and thou hast failid; it touchide thee, and thou art disturblid.
6 [Is] not [this] thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?
Where is thi drede, thi strengthe, and thi pacience, and the perfeccioun of thi weies?
7 Remember, I pray thee, who [ever] perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off;
Y biseche thee, haue thou mynde, what innocent man perischide euere, ethir whanne riytful men weren doon awei?
8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
Certis rathir Y siy hem, that worchen wickidnesse, and sowen sorewis,
9 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they 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, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, 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 perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.
Tigris perischide, for sche hadde not prey; and the whelpis of a lioun ben distried.
12 Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a small sound of it.
Certis an hid word was seid to me, and myn eere took as theueli the veynes of priuy noise therof.
13 In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men.
In the hidousnesse of `nyytis siyt, whanne heuy sleep is wont to occupie men,
14 Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.
drede and tremblyng helde me; and alle my boonys weren aferd.
15 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:
And whanne the spirit `yede in my presence, the heiris of `my fleisch hadden hidousnesse.
16 It stood still, but I could not discern its form: an image [was] before my eyes, [there was] silence, and I heard a voice, [saying],
Oon stood, whos chere Y knewe not, an ymage bifor myn iyen; and Y herde a vois as of softe wynd.
17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall 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 Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:
Lo! thei that seruen hym ben not stidefast; and he findith schrewidnesse in hise aungels.
19 How much less [in] them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation [is] in the dust, [who] are crushed before the moth?
Hou myche more thei that dwellen in housis of cley, that han an ertheli foundement, schulen be wastyd as of a mouyte.
20 They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding [it].
Fro morewtid til to euentid thei schulen be kit doun; and for no man vndurstondith, thei schulen perische with outen ende.
21 Doth not their excellence [which is] in them depart? they die, even without wisdom.
Sotheli thei, that ben residue, schulen be takun awei; thei schulen die, and not in wisdom.
