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.
My soul is disgusted with my life; I will give free vent to my complaint over myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 Y schal seie to God, Nyle thou condempne me; schewe thou to me, whi thou demest me so.
I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; let me know for what cause thou contendest 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?
Is it well for thee that thou shouldst oppress, that thou shouldst reject the labor of thy hands, and shed light upon the counsel of the wicked?
4 Whethir fleischli iyen ben to thee, ethir, as a man seeth, also thou schalt se?
Hast thou eyes of flesh? or wilt thou see as a mortal seeth?
5 Whether thi daies ben as the daies of man, and `thi yeeris ben as mannus tymes;
Are thy days as the days of a mortal, or are thy years as the days of a man,
6 that thou enquere my wickidnesse, and enserche my synne?
That thou inquirest after my iniquity, and searchest after my sin?
7 And wite, that Y haue do no `wickid thing; sithen no man is, that may delyuere fro thin hond?
Still it is within thy knowledge that I am not wicked, and there is none that can deliver me out of thy hand.
8 Thin hondis han maad me, and han formed me al in cumpas; and thou castist me doun so sodeynli.
Thy hands have carefully fashioned me and made me; every thing is in harmony all round about; and yet thou dost destroy me!
9 Y preye, haue thou mynde, that thou madist me as cley, and schalt brynge me ayen in to dust.
Remember, I beseech thee, that as though I were clay hast thou made me; and wilt thou cause me to return again unto the dust?
10 Whether thou hast not mylkid me as mylk, and hast cruddid me togidere as cheese?
Behold, like milk didst thou pour me out, and like cheese didst thou curdle me.
11 Thou clothidist me with skyn and fleisch; thou hast ioyned me togidere with boonys and senewis.
With skin and flesh didst thou clothe me, and with bones and sinews didst thou cover me.
12 Thou hast youe lijf and mercy to me, and thi visiting hath kept my spirit.
Life and kindness didst thou grant me, and thy providence watched over my spirit.
13 Thouy thou helist these thingis in thin herte, netheles Y woot, that thou hast mynde of alle thingis.
And yet these things hadst thou treasured up in thy heart: I know that this was [resolved] within thee.
14 If Y dide synne, and thou sparidist me at an our; whi suffrist thou not me to be cleene of my wickidnesse?
If I have sinned, then dost thou watch me, and from my iniquity thou wilt not declare me guiltless.
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 be wicked, woe unto me: and if I be righteous, I can still not lift up my head; I am sated with disgrace, and ever seeing my affliction;
16 And if Y reise `the heed for pride, thou schalt take me as a lionesse; and thou turnest ayen, and turmentist me wondirli.
And it constantly increaseth; like a fierce lion dost thou hunt for me; and again thou showest thyself continually wonderful on 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.
Thou ever renewest thy witnesses against me, and causest thy indignation to grow strong against me; changes and multitudes [of sufferings] are around me.
18 Whi hast thou led me out of the wombe? `And Y wolde, that Y were wastid, lest an iye `schulde se me.
Wherefore then didst thou bring me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had perished, and that no eye had seen me!
19 That Y hadde be, as if Y were not, and `were translatid, ethir borun ouer, fro the wombe to the sepulcre.
That I were as though I had not been, —had been borne 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,
Lo! my days are but few: cease, then, withdraw from me [thy hand], that I may recover my cheerfulness a little.
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, and return not, to the land of darkness and the shadow of death,
22 where is schadewe of deeth, and noon ordre, but euerlastynge hidousnesse dwellith.
A land of utter gloom, as of the darkness of the shadow of death, without any order, and the light of which is like utter gloom.
