Job 15
1 Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, 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 utter vain 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.
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 cast off fear, and restrain prayer before God.
5 For wickidnesse hath tauyt thi mouth, and thou suest the tunge of blasfemeris.
For your mouth utters your iniquity, and you choose the tongue 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 that was born? or were you made before the hills?
8 Whether thou herdist the counsel of God, and his wisdom is lower than thou?
Have you heard the secret of God? and do you restrain wisdom to yourself?
9 What thing knowist thou, whiche we knowen not? What thing vndurstondist thou, whiche we witen not?
What know you, that we know not? what understand you, 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 very aged men, much elder than your father.
11 Whether it is greet, that God coumforte thee? But thi schrewid wordis forbeden this.
Are the consolations of God small with you? is there any secret thing with you?
12 What reisith thin herte thee, and thou as thenkynge grete thingis hast iyen astonyed?
Why does your heart carry you away? and what do your eyes wink at,
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? and he which 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 saints; 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 more abominable and filthy is man, which 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, hear me; and that which 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 hid it:
19 To whiche aloone the erthe is youun, and an alien schal not passe bi hem.
To 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.
The wicked man travails with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.
21 The sown of drede is euere in hise eeris, and whanne pees is, he supposith euere tresouns.
A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall 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 believes not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of 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.
Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall 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.
For he stretches out his hand against God, and strengthens himself against the Almighty.
26 He ran with neck reisid ayens God, and he was armed with fat nol.
He runs on him, even on his neck, on 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.
Because he covers his face with his fatness, and makes bulges of fat on his flanks.
28 He schal dwelle in desolat citees, and in deseert, `ethir forsakun, housis, that ben turned in to biriels.
And he dwells in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabits, which are 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 shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof 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 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 not him that is deceived trust in vanity: 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 accomplished before his time, 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 grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the 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 congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.
35 He conseyuede sorewe, and childide wickidnesse, and his wombe makith redi tretcheries.
They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepares deceit.
