Job 15
1 Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
2 Whether a wise man schal answere, as spekynge ayens the wynd, and schal fille his stomac with brennyng, `that is, ire?
“Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?
3 For thou repreuest hym bi wordis, which is not lijk thee, and thou spekist that, that spedith not to thee.
Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches with which he can do no good?
4 As myche as is in thee, thou hast avoidid drede; and thou hast take awey preyeris bifor God.
Yes, you do away with fear, and hinder devotion before God.
5 For wickidnesse hath tauyt thi mouth, and thou suest the tunge of blasfemeris.
For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty.
6 Thi tunge, and not Y, schal condempne thee, and thi lippis schulen answere thee.
Your own mouth condemns you, and not I. Yes, your own lips testify against you.
7 Whether thou art borun the firste man, and art formed bifor alle little hillis?
“Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought out before the hills?
8 Whether thou herdist the counsel of God, and his wisdom is lower than thou?
Have you heard the secret counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What thing knowist thou, whiche we knowen not? What thing vndurstondist thou, whiche we witen not?
What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand which is not in us?
10 Bothe wise men and elde, myche eldre than thi fadris, ben among vs.
With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, much older than your father.
11 Whether it is greet, that God coumforte thee? But thi schrewid wordis forbeden this.
Are the consolations of God too small for you, even the word that is gentle toward you?
12 What reisith thin herte thee, and thou as thenkynge grete thingis hast iyen astonyed?
Why does your heart carry you away? Why do your eyes flash,
13 What bolneth thi spirit ayens God, that thou brynge forth of thi mouth siche wordis?
that you turn your spirit against God, and let such words go out of your mouth?
14 What is a man, that he be with out wem, and that he borun of a womman appere iust?
What is man, that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 Lo! noon among hise seyntis is vnchaungable, and heuenes ben not cleene in his siyt.
Behold, he puts no trust in his holy ones. Yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight;
16 How myche more a man abhomynable and vnprofitable, that drynkith wickidnesse as water?
how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water!
17 I schal schewe to thee, here thou me; Y schal telle to thee that, that Y siy.
“I will show you, listen to me; that which I have seen I will declare
18 Wise men knoulechen, and hiden not her fadris.
(which wise men have told by their fathers, and have not hidden it;
19 To whiche aloone the erthe is youun, and an alien schal not passe bi hem.
to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them):
20 A wickid man is proud in alle hise daies; and the noumbre of hise yeeris and of his tirauntrie is vncerteyn.
the wicked man writhes in pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
21 The sown of drede is euere in hise eeris, and whanne pees is, he supposith euere tresouns.
A sound of terrors is in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer will come on him.
22 He bileueth not that he may turne ayen fro derknessis to liyt; and biholdith aboute on ech side a swerd.
He does not believe that he will return out of darkness. He is waited for by the sword.
23 Whanne he stirith hym to seke breed, he woot, that the dai of derknessis is maad redi in his hond.
He wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24 Tribulacioun schal make hym aferd, and angwisch schal cumpas hym, as a kyng which is maad redi to batel.
Distress and anguish make him afraid. They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
25 For he helde forth his hond ayens God, and he was maad strong ayens Almyyti God.
Because he has stretched out his hand against God, and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty,
26 He ran with neck reisid ayens God, and he was armed with fat nol.
he runs at him with a stiff neck, with the thick shields of his bucklers,
27 Fatnesse, that is, pride `comyng forth of temporal aboundaunce, hilide his face, `that is, the knowyng of vndurstondyng, and outward fatnesse hangith doun of his sidis.
because he has covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat on his thighs.
28 He schal dwelle in desolat citees, and in deseert, `ethir forsakun, housis, that ben turned in to biriels.
He has lived in desolate cities, in houses which no one inhabited, which were ready to become heaps.
29 He schal not be maad riche, nether his catel schal dwelle stidefastli; nether he schal sende his roote in the erthe,
He will not be rich, neither will his substance continue, neither will their possessions be extended on the earth.
30 nether he schal go awei fro derknessis. Flawme schal make drie hise braunchis, and he schal be takun a wey bi the spirit of his mouth.
He will not depart out of darkness. The flame will dry up his branches. He will go away by the breath of God’s mouth.
31 Bileue he not veynli disseyued bi errour, that he schal be ayenbouyt bi ony prijs.
Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his reward.
32 Bifor that hise daies ben fillid, he schal perische, and hise hondis schulen wexe drye;
It will be accomplished before his time. His branch will not be green.
33 he schal be hirt as a vyne in the firste flour of his grape, and as an olyue tre castinge awei his flour.
He will shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and will cast off his flower as the olive tree.
34 For the gaderyng togidere of an ipocrite is bareyn, and fier schal deuoure the tabernaclis of hem, that taken yiftis wilfuli.
For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
35 He conseyuede sorewe, and childide wickidnesse, and his wombe makith redi tretcheries.
They conceive mischief and produce iniquity. Their heart prepares deceit.”
