Job 31

1 “I made a covenant with my eyes; how then should I look lustfully at a young woman?

I made couenaunt with myn iyen, that Y schulde not thenke of a virgyn.

2 For what is the portion from God above, and the heritage from the Almighty on high?

For what part schulde God aboue haue in me, and eritage Almyyti God of hiye thingis?

3 Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, and disaster to the workers of iniquity?

Whether perdicioun is not to a wickid man, and alienacioun of God is to men worchynge wickidnesse?

4 Doesn’t he see my ways, and count all my steps?

Whether he biholdith not my weies, and noumbrith alle my goyngis?

5 “If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hurried to deceit

If Y yede in vanyte, and my foot hastide in gile,

6 (let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know my integrity);

God weie me in a iust balaunce, and knowe my symplenesse.

7 if my step has turned out of the way, if my heart walked after my eyes, if any defilement has stuck to my hands,

If my step bowide fro the weie; if myn iye suede myn herte, and a spotte cleuede to myn hondis;

8 then let me sow, and let another eat. Yes, let the produce of my field be rooted out.

sowe Y, and another ete, and my generacioun be drawun out bi the root.

9 “If my heart has been enticed to a woman, and I have laid wait at my neighbour’s door,

If myn herte was disseyued on a womman, and if Y settide aspies at the dore of my frend; my wijf be the hoore of anothir man,

10 then let my wife grind for another, and let others sleep with her.

and othir men be bowid doun on hir.

11 For that would be a heinous crime. Yes, it would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges,

For this is vnleueful, and the moost wickidnesse.

12 for it is a fire that consumes to destruction, and would root out all my increase.

Fier is deourynge `til to wastyng, and drawynge vp bi the roote alle generaciouns.

13 “If I have despised the cause of my male servant or of my female servant, when they contended with me,

If Y dispiside to take doom with my seruaunt and myn hand mayde, whanne thei stryueden ayens me.

14 what then will I do when God rises up? When he visits, what will I answer him?

What sotheli schal Y do, whanne God schal rise to deme? and whanne he schal axe, what schal Y answere to hym?

15 Didn’t he who made me in the womb make him? Didn’t one fashion us in the womb?

Whether he, that wrouyte also hym, made not me in the wombe, and o God formede me in the wombe?

16 “If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

If Y denyede to pore men that, that thei wolden, and if Y made the iyen of a wydewe to abide;

17 or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it

if Y aloone eet my mussel, and a faderles child eet not therof;

18 (no, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, I have guided her from my mother’s womb);

for merciful doyng encreesside with me fro my yong childhed, and yede out of my modris wombe with me;

19 if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or that the needy had no covering;

if Y dispiside a man passynge forth, for he hadde not a cloth, and a pore man with out hilyng;

20 if his heart hasn’t blessed me, if he hasn’t been warmed with my sheep’s fleece;

if hise sidis blessiden not me, and was not maad hoot of the fleeces of my scheep;

21 if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate;

if Y reiside myn hond on a fadirles child, yhe, whanne Y siy me the hiyere in the yate;

22 then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and my arm be broken from the bone.

my schuldre falle fro his ioynt, and myn arm with hise boonys be al to-brokun.

23 For calamity from God is a terror to me. Because of his majesty, I can do nothing.

For euere Y dredde God, as wawis wexynge gret on me; and `Y myyte not bere his birthun.

24 “If I have made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold, ‘You are my confidence;’

If Y gesside gold my strengthe, and if Y seide to purid gold, Thou art my trist;

25 If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much;

if Y was glad on my many ritchessis, and for myn hond foond ful many thingis;

26 if I have seen the sun when it shined, or the moon moving in splendour,

if Y siy the sunne, whanne it schynede, and the moone goynge clereli;

27 and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth;

and if myn herte was glad in priuyte, and if Y kisside myn hond with my mouth;

28 this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I would have denied the God who is above.

which is the moost wickidnesse, and deniyng ayens hiyeste God;

29 “If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him

if Y hadde ioye at the fallyng of hym, that hatide me, and if Y ioide fulli, that yuel hadde founde hym;

30 (I have certainly not allowed my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse);

for Y yaf not my throte to do synne, that Y schulde asaile and curse his soule;

31 if the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat?’

if the men of my tabernacle seiden not, Who yyueth, that we be fillid of hise fleischis? a pilgryme dwellide not with outforth;

32 (the foreigner has not camped in the street, but I have opened my doors to the traveller);

my dore was opyn to a weiegoere;

33 if like Adam I have covered my transgressions, by hiding my iniquity in my heart,

if Y as man hidde my synne, and helide my wickidnesse in my bosum;

34 because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and didn’t go out of the door—

if Y dredde at ful greet multitude, and if dispisyng of neyyboris made me aferd; and not more Y was stille, and yede not out of the dore;

35 oh that I had one to hear me! Behold, here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me! Let the accuser write my indictment!

who yyueth an helpere to me, that Almyyti God here my desire? that he that demeth,

36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, and I would bind it to me as a crown.

write a book, that Y bere it in my schuldre, and cumpasse it as a coroun to me?

37 I would declare to him the number of my steps. I would go near to him like a prince.

Bi alle my degrees Y schal pronounce it, and Y schal as offre it to the prynce.

38 If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together;

If my lond crieth ayens me, and hise forewis wepen with it;

39 if I have eaten its fruits without money, or have caused its owners to lose their life,

if Y eet fruytis therof with out money, and Y turmentide the soule of erthetileris of it;

40 let briers grow instead of wheat, and stinkweed instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

a brere growe to me for wheete, and a thorn for barli.