< Job 22 >

1 Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered 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, as he that is wise may be 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,
Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter 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? and thine iniquities infinite?
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 a pledge from 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 honourable man 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, [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, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
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, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.
15 Whether thou coueitist to kepe the path of worldis, which wickid men han ofte go?
Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
16 Whiche weren takun awei bifor her tyme, and the flood distriede the foundement of hem.
Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
17 Whiche seiden to God, Go thou awei fro vs; and as if Almyyti God may do no thing, thei gessiden hym,
Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
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?
Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.
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 thine 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, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
24 He schal yyue a flynt for erthe, and goldun strondis for a flynt.
Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the [gold] of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
25 And Almyyti God schal be ayens thin enemyes; and siluer schal be gaderid togidere to thee.
Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
26 Thanne on Almyyti God thou schalt flowe with delicis; and thou schalt reise thi face to God.
For then shalt thou have thy delight 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 shall 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 the 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 [men] are cast down, then thou shalt say, [There is] lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.
30 An innocent schal be saued; sotheli he schal be saued in the clennesse of hise hondis.
He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.

< Job 22 >