Job 10
1 Yt anoieth my soule of my lijf; Y schal lete my speche ayens me, Y schal speke in the bitternesse of my soule.
I hate my life! Let me speak freely about my complaints—I can't keep my bitterness to myself.
2 Y schal seie to God, Nyle thou condempne me; schewe thou to me, whi thou demest me so.
I will tell God, “Don't just condemn me—tell me what you have against me.
3 Whether it semeth good to thee, if thou `falsli chalengist and oppressist me, the werk of thin hondis; and if thou helpist the counsel of wickid men?
Do you enjoy accusing me? Why do you reject me, someone you made with your own hands, and yet smile on the scheming of the wicked?
4 Whethir fleischli iyen ben to thee, ethir, as a man seeth, also thou schalt se?
Do you have human eyes? Do you see like human beings do?
5 Whether thi daies ben as the daies of man, and `thi yeeris ben as mannus tymes;
Is your life as short as mortal beings? Are your years as brief as those of humanity,
6 that thou enquere my wickidnesse, and enserche my synne?
that you have to examine my wrongs and investigate my sins?
7 And wite, that Y haue do no `wickid thing; sithen no man is, that may delyuere fro thin hond?
Even though you know I'm not guilty, no one can save me from you.
8 Thin hondis han maad me, and han formed me al in cumpas; and thou castist me doun so sodeynli.
You made me and shaped me with your own hands, and yet you destroy me.
9 Y preye, haue thou mynde, that thou madist me as cley, and schalt brynge me ayen in to dust.
Remember that you shaped me like a piece of clay—are you now going to turn me back into dust?
10 Whether thou hast not mylkid me as mylk, and hast cruddid me togidere as cheese?
You poured me out like milk, you curdled me like cheese.
11 Thou clothidist me with skyn and fleisch; thou hast ioyned me togidere with boonys and senewis.
You clothed me with skin and flesh; you wove my body together with bones and muscles.
12 Thou hast youe lijf and mercy to me, and thi visiting hath kept my spirit.
You granted me life and showed me your kindness; you have taken great care of me.
13 Thouy thou helist these thingis in thin herte, netheles Y woot, that thou hast mynde of alle thingis.
But you kept these things hidden in your heart. I know your purpose was
14 If Y dide synne, and thou sparidist me at an our; whi suffrist thou not me to be cleene of my wickidnesse?
to watch me, and if I sinned, then you would not forgive my wrongs.
15 And if Y was wickid, wo is to me; and if Y was iust, Y fillid with turment and wretchidnesse `schal not reise the heed.
If I'm guilty I'm in trouble, if I'm innocent I can't hold my head high because I'm totally disgraced as I look at my sufferings.
16 And if Y reise `the heed for pride, thou schalt take me as a lionesse; and thou turnest ayen, and turmentist me wondirli.
If I do hold my head high you hunt me down like a lion, showing how powerful you are in hurting me.
17 Thou gaderist in store thi witnessis ayens me, and thou multipliest thin yre, `that is, veniaunce, ayens me; and peynes holden knyythod in me.
You repeat your arguments against me, you pour out more and more of your anger against me, you send fresh armies against me.
18 Whi hast thou led me out of the wombe? `And Y wolde, that Y were wastid, lest an iye `schulde se me.
So why did you allow me to be born? I wish that I had died, and nobody had ever seen me!
19 That Y hadde be, as if Y were not, and `were translatid, ethir borun ouer, fro the wombe to the sepulcre.
It would have been better if I had never existed, taken straight from the womb to the grave.
20 Whether the fewnesse of my daies schal not be endid in schort? Therfor suffre thou me, that Y biweile `a litil my sorewe,
I only have a few days left, so why don't you leave me alone so I can have a little peace
21 bifor that Y go, and turne not ayen, to the derk lond, and hilid with the derknesse of deth, to the lond of wrecchidnesse and of derknessis;
before I go to where I shall never return from, the land of darkness and the shadow of death—
22 where is schadewe of deeth, and noon ordre, but euerlastynge hidousnesse dwellith.
the land of total darkness where death's shadow lies, a place of chaos where light itself is darkness.”
