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 make answer with 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 wherewith he can do no good?
4 As myche as is in thee, thou hast avoidid drede; and thou hast take awey preyeris bifor God.
Yea, thou doest away with fear, and restrainest devotion before God.
5 For wickidnesse hath tauyt thi mouth, and thou suest the tunge of blasfemeris.
For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, and thou choosest 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; yea, thine own 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? or wast thou brought forth before the hills?
8 Whether thou herdist the counsel of God, and his wisdom is lower than thou?
Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to 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.
With us are both the grayheaded and the very aged men, much elder 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 [that dealeth] gently with thee?
12 What reisith thin herte thee, and thou as thenkynge grete thingis hast iyen astonyed?
Why doth thine 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 [such] 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 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 putteth no trust in his holy ones; yea, 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 that is abominable and corrupt, a man that drinketh iniquity like water!
17 I schal schewe to thee, here thou me; Y schal telle to thee that, that Y siy.
I will shew thee, hear thou 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.
Unto 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 travaileth with 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 spoiler shall come 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 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 wandereth abroad for bread, [saying], Where is it? 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 to the battle:
25 For he helde forth his hond ayens God, and he was maad strong ayens Almyyti God.
Because he hath stretched out his hand against God, and behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;
26 He ran with neck reisid ayens God, and he was armed with fat nol.
He runneth upon him with a [stiff] 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.
Because he hath covered his face with his fatness, and made collops 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 hath dwelt in desolate cities, in houses which no man 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 shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall their produce bend to 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, deceiving himself: for vanity shall be his recompence.
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 company of the godless 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.
