Job 15
1 Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
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 windy knowledge, and fill his belly 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.
Reasoning with unprofitable talk, and with speeches which do no good?
4 As myche as is in thee, thou hast avoidid drede; and thou hast take awey preyeris bifor God.
Yea, thou makest piety of none effect, and restrainest meditation before God.
5 For wickidnesse hath tauyt thi mouth, and thou suest the tunge of blasfemeris.
For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou hast chosen the tongue of the crafty.
6 Thi tunge, and not Y, schal condempne thee, and thi lippis schulen answere thee.
Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; and thy lips testify against thee.
7 Whether thou art borun the firste man, and art formed bifor alle little hillis?
Art thou the first man that was born? and wast thou brought forth before the hills?
8 Whether thou herdist the counsel of God, and his wisdom is lower than thou?
Hast thou listened in the secret council of God? And hast thou absorbed wisdom for thyself?
9 What thing knowist thou, whiche we knowen not? What thing vndurstondist thou, whiche we witen not?
What knowest thou that we know not? [what] understandest thou which is not in us?
10 Bothe wise men and elde, myche eldre than thi fadris, ben among vs.
Both the greyheaded and the aged are with us, older than thy father.
11 Whether it is greet, that God coumforte thee? But thi schrewid wordis forbeden this.
Are the consolations of God too small for thee? and the word gently spoken to thee?
12 What reisith thin herte thee, and thou as thenkynge grete thingis hast iyen astonyed?
Why doth thy heart carry thee away? and why do thine eyes wink?
13 What bolneth thi spirit ayens God, that thou brynge forth of thi mouth siche wordis?
That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest words go out of thy 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 pure? and he that 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 putteth no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight:
16 How myche more a man abhomynable and vnprofitable, that drynkith wickidnesse as water?
How much less the abominable and corrupt, — man, that drinketh unrighteousness like water!
17 I schal schewe to thee, here thou me; Y schal telle to thee that, that Y siy.
I will shew thee, listen to me; and what I have seen I will declare;
18 Wise men knoulechen, and hiden not her fadris.
Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hidden;
19 To whiche aloone the erthe is youun, and an alien schal not passe bi hem.
Unto whom alone the earth 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.
All his days the wicked man is tormented, and numbered years are allotted to the violent.
21 The sown of drede is euere in hise eeris, and whanne pees is, he supposith euere tresouns.
The sound of terrors is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer cometh upon him.
22 He bileueth not that he may turne ayen fro derknessis to liyt; and biholdith aboute on ech side a swerd.
He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is singled out for the sword.
23 Whanne he stirith hym to seke breed, he woot, that the dai of derknessis is maad redi in his hond.
He wandereth abroad for bread, — where may it be? He knoweth 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 for the battle.
25 For he helde forth his hond ayens God, and he was maad strong ayens Almyyti God.
For he hath stretched out his hand against God, and strengthened himself against the Almighty:
26 He ran with neck reisid ayens God, and he was armed with fat nol.
He runneth against him, with [outstretched] neck, with the thick bosses 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.
For he hath covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat upon [his] flanks.
28 He schal dwelle in desolat citees, and in deseert, `ethir forsakun, housis, that ben turned in to biriels.
And he dwelleth in desolate cities, in houses that no man inhabiteth, which are destined 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 shall not become rich, neither shall his substance continue, and their possessions shall not extend upon 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 shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches; and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.
31 Bileue he not veynli disseyued bi errour, that he schal be ayenbouyt bi ony prijs.
Let him not trust in vanity: he is deceived, for vanity shall be his recompense;
32 Bifor that hise daies ben fillid, he schal perische, and hise hondis schulen wexe drye;
It shall be complete before his day, and his branch shall 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 shall shake off his unripe grapes as a vine, and shall cast his flower as an olive.
34 For the gaderyng togidere of an ipocrite is bareyn, and fier schal deuoure the tabernaclis of hem, that taken yiftis wilfuli.
For the family of the ungodly shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
35 He conseyuede sorewe, and childide wickidnesse, and his wombe makith redi tretcheries.
They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, and their belly prepareth deceit.
