Job 22
1 Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2 Whether a man, yhe, whanne he is of perfit kunnyng, mai be comparisound to God?
Can a man be profitable unto God? Surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself.
3 What profitith it to God, if thou art iust? ethir what schalt thou yyue to hym, if thi lijf is without wem?
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gain [to him], that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4 Whether he schal drede, and schal repreue thee, and schal come with thee in to doom,
Is it for thy fear [of him] that he reproveth thee, That he entereth with thee into judgment?
5 and not for thi ful myche malice, and thi wickidnessis with out noumbre, `these peynes bifelden iustli to thee?
Is not thy wickedness great? Neither is there any end to thine iniquities.
6 For thou hast take awei with out cause the wed of thi britheren; and hast spuylid nakid men of clothis.
For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought, And stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 Thou yauest not watir to the feynt man; and thou withdrowist breed fro the hungri man.
Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, And thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8 In the strengthe of thin arm thou haddist the lond in possessioun; and thou moost myyti heldist it.
But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; And the honorable man, he dwelt in it.
9 Thou leftist widewis voide; and al to-brakist the schuldris of fadirles children.
Thou hast sent widows away empty, And the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therfor thou art cumpassid with snaris; and sodeyn drede disturblith thee.
Therefore snares are round about thee, And sudden fear troubleth thee,
11 And thou gessidist, that thou schuldist not se derknessis; and that thou schuldist not be oppressid with the fersnesse of watris flowyng.
Or darkness, so that thou canst not see, And abundance of waters cover thee.
12 Whether thou thenkist, that God is hiyere than heuene, and is enhaunsid aboue the coppe of sterris?
Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
13 And thou seist, What sotheli knowith God? and, He demeth as bi derknesse.
And thou sayest, What doth God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?
14 A cloude is his hidyng place, and he biholdith not oure thingis, and he `goith aboute the herris of heuene.
Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he seeth not; And he walketh on the vault of heaven.
15 Whether thou coueitist to kepe the path of worldis, which wickid men han ofte go?
Wilt thou keep the old way Which wicked men have trodden?
16 Whiche weren takun awei bifor her tyme, and the flood distriede the foundement of hem.
Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
17 Whiche seiden to God, Go thou awei fro vs; and as if Almyyti God may do no thing, thei gessiden hym,
Who said unto God, Depart from us; And, What can the Almighty do for us?
18 whanne he hadde fillid her housis with goodis; the sentence of whiche men be fer fro me.
Yet he filled their houses with good things: But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 Iust men schulen se, and schulen be glad; and an innocent man schal scorne hem.
The righteous see it, and are glad; And the innocent laugh them to scorn,
20 Whether the reisyng of hem is not kit doun, and fier schal deuoure the relifs of hem?
[Saying], Surely they that did rise up against us are cut off, And the remnant of them the fire hath consumed.
21 Therfor assente thou to God, and haue thou pees; and bi these thingis thou schalt haue best fruytis.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: Thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Take thou the lawe of his mouth, and sette thou hise wordis in thin herte.
Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, And lay up his words in thy heart.
23 If thou turnest ayen to Almyyti God, thou schalt be bildid; and thou schalt make wickidnesse fer fro thi tabernacle.
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, If thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents.
24 He schal yyue a flynt for erthe, and goldun strondis for a flynt.
And lay thou [thy] treasure in the dust, And [the gold of] Ophir among the stones of the brooks;
25 And Almyyti God schal be ayens thin enemyes; and siluer schal be gaderid togidere to thee.
And the Almighty will be thy treasure, And precious silver unto thee.
26 Thanne on Almyyti God thou schalt flowe with delicis; and thou schalt reise thi face to God.
For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, And shalt lift up thy face unto God.
27 Thou schalt preye hym, and he schal here thee; and thou schalt yelde thi vowis.
Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee; And thou shalt pay thy vows.
28 Thou schalt deme a thing, and it schal come to thee; and lyyt schal schyne in thi weies.
Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; And light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 For he that is mekid, schal be in glorie; and he that bowith doun hise iyen, schal be saued.
When they cast [thee] down, thou shalt say, [There is] lifting up; And the humble person he will save.
30 An innocent schal be saued; sotheli he schal be saued in the clennesse of hise hondis.
He will deliver [even] him that is not innocent: Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands.
