Job 12
1 Sotheli Joob answeride, and seide,
Then Job said [to his three friends],
2 Therfor ben ye men aloone, that wisdom dwelle with you?
“You (talk as though/You think) [SAR] that you are the people [whom everyone should listen to], and that when you die, there will be no more wise people.
3 And to me is an herte, as and to you, and Y am not lowere than ye; for who knowith not these thingis, whiche ye knowen?
But I have as much good sense as you do; I am (not less wise than/certainly as wise as [LIT]) you. Certainly everyone knows [RHQ] all that you have said.
4 He that is scorned of his frend, as Y am, schal inwardli clepe God, and God schal here hym; for the symplenesse of a iust man is scorned.
My friends all laugh at me now. Previously I habitually requested God to help me, and he answered/helped me. I am righteous, a very godly man [DOU], but everyone laughs at me.
5 A laumpe is dispisid at the thouytis of riche men, and the laumpe is maad redi to a tyme ordeyned.
Those [like you] who have no troubles make fun of me; they cause those [like me] who are already suffering to have more troubles.
6 The tabernaclis of robberis ben plenteuouse, `ether ful of goodis; and boldli thei terren God to wraththe, whanne he hath youe alle thingis in to her hondis.
Bandits live peacefully, and no one threatens those who cause God to become angry; their own strength is the god [that they worship].
7 No wondur, ax thou beestis, and tho schulen teche thee; and axe thou volatilis of the eir, and tho schulen schewe to thee.
“But ask the wild animals [what they know about God], and [if they could speak] they would teach you. [If you could] ask the birds, they would tell you.
8 Speke thou to the erthe, and it schal answere thee; and the fischis of the see schulen telle tho thingis.
[If you could] ask the creatures [that crawl] on the ground, or the fish in the sea, they would tell you [about God].
9 Who knowith not that the hond of the Lord made alle these thingis?
All of them certainly know [RHQ] that it is Yahweh who has made them with his hands.
10 In whos hond the soule is of ech lyuynge thing, and the spirit, `that is, resonable soule, of ech fleisch of man.
He directs the lives of all living creatures; he gives breath to all [us] humans [to enable us to remain alive].
11 Whether the eere demeth not wordis, and the chekis of the etere demen sauour?
And when we [SYN] hear what other people [like you] say, we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say [to determine what is good and what is bad], like we [SYN] taste food [to determine what is good and what is bad].
12 Wisdom is in elde men, and prudence is in myche tyme.
Old people are [often] very wise, and because of having lived many years, they understand much,
13 Wisdom and strengthe is at God; he hath counsel and vndurstondyng.
but God is wise and very powerful; he has good sense and understands [everything].
14 If he distrieth, no man is that bildith; if he schittith in a man, `noon is that openith.
If he tears [something] down, no one can rebuild it; if he puts someone in prison, no one can open [the prison doors to allow that person to escape].
15 If he holdith togidere watris, alle thingis schulen be maad drie; if he sendith out tho watris, tho schulen distrie the erthe.
When he prevents rain from falling, everything dries up. When he causes a lot of rain to fall, [the result is that] there are floods.
16 Strengthe and wisdom is at God; he knowith bothe hym that disseyueth and hym that is disseyued.
He is the one who is truly strong and wise; he rules over those who deceive others and those whom they deceive.
17 And he bryngith conselours in to a fonned eende, and iugis in to wondryng, ethir astonying.
He [sometimes] causes [the king’s] officials to no longer be wise, and he causes judges to become foolish.
18 He vnbindith the girdil of kyngis, and girdith her reynes with a coorde.
He takes from kings the robes that they wear and puts loincloths around their waists, [causing them to become slaves].
19 He ledith her prestis with out glorie, and he disseyueth the principal men, `ethir counselours;
He takes from priests the sacred clothes that they wear, [with the result that they no longer can do their work], and takes power from those who rule others.
20 and he chaungith the lippis of sothefast men, and takith awei the doctrine of elde men.
He [sometimes] causes those whom others trust to be unable to speak, and he causes old men to no longer have good sense.
21 He schedith out dispisyng on princes, and releeueth hem, that weren oppressid.
He causes those who have authority to be despised, and he causes those who are powerful to no longer have any power/strength.
22 Which schewith depe thingis fro derknessis; and bryngith forth in to liyt the schadewe of deeth.
He causes things that are hidden in the darkness to be revealed.
23 Which multiplieth folkis, and leesith hem, and restorith hem destried in to the hool.
He causes some nations to become very great, and [later] he destroys them; he causes the territory of some nations to become much larger, and [later] he causes them to be defeated and their people to be scattered.
24 Which chaungith the herte of princes of the puple of erthe; and disseyueth hem, that thei go in veyn out of the weie.
He causes [some] rulers to become foolish/stupid, and then he causes them to wander around, lost, in an barren desert.
25 Thei schulen grope, as in derknessis, and not in liyt; and he schal make hem to erre as drunken men.
They grope around in the darkness, without any light, and he causes them to stagger like [SIM] people who are drunk.”
