Job 22
1 Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
2 Whether a man, yhe, whanne he is of perfit kunnyng, mai be comparisound to God?
“Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to 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 you are righteous? Or does it benefit him that you make your ways perfect?
4 Whether he schal drede, and schal repreue thee, and schal come with thee in to doom,
Is it for your piety that he reproves you, that he enters with you into judgement?
5 and not for thi ful myche malice, and thi wickidnessis with out noumbre, `these peynes bifelden iustli to thee?
Isn’t your wickedness great? Neither is there any end to your iniquities.
6 For thou hast take awei with out cause the wed of thi britheren; and hast spuylid nakid men of clothis.
For you have taken pledges from your brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 Thou yauest not watir to the feynt man; and thou withdrowist breed fro the hungri man.
You haven’t given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld 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. The honourable man, he lived in it.
9 Thou leftist widewis voide; and al to-brakist the schuldris of fadirles children.
You have 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 around you. Sudden fear troubles you,
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 you can not see, and floods of waters cover you.
12 Whether thou thenkist, that God is hiyere than heuene, and is enhaunsid aboue the coppe of sterris?
“Isn’t God in the heights of heaven? See the height of the stars, how high they are!
13 And thou seist, What sotheli knowith God? and, He demeth as bi derknesse.
You say, ‘What does 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 doesn’t see. He walks on the vault of the sky.’
15 Whether thou coueitist to kepe the path of worldis, which wickid men han ofte go?
Will you 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 to 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. The innocent ridicule them,
20 Whether the reisyng of hem is not kit doun, and fier schal deuoure the relifs of hem?
saying, ‘Surely those who rose up against us are cut off. The fire has consumed their remnant.’
21 Therfor assente thou to God, and haue thou pees; and bi these thingis thou schalt haue best fruytis.
“Acquaint yourself with him now, and be at peace. By it, good will come to you.
22 Take thou the lawe of his mouth, and sette thou hise wordis in thin herte.
Please receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.
23 If thou turnest ayen to Almyyti God, thou schalt be bildid; and thou schalt make wickidnesse fer fro thi tabernacle.
If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up, if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents.
24 He schal yyue a flynt for erthe, and goldun strondis for a flynt.
Lay your treasure in the dust, the gold of Ophir amongst the stones of the brooks.
25 And Almyyti God schal be ayens thin enemyes; and siluer schal be gaderid togidere to thee.
The Almighty will be your treasure, and precious silver to you.
26 Thanne on Almyyti God thou schalt flowe with delicis; and thou schalt reise thi face to God.
For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and will lift up your face to God.
27 Thou schalt preye hym, and he schal here thee; and thou schalt yelde thi vowis.
You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you. You will pay your vows.
28 Thou schalt deme a thing, and it schal come to thee; and lyyt schal schyne in thi weies.
You will also decree a thing, and it will be established to you. Light will shine on your ways.
29 For he that is mekid, schal be in glorie; and he that bowith doun hise iyen, schal be saued.
When they cast down, you will say, ‘be lifted up.’ He will save the humble person.
30 An innocent schal be saued; sotheli he schal be saued in the clennesse of hise hondis.
He will even deliver him who is not innocent. Yes, he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”
