Job 24
1 Tymes ben not hid fro Almyyti God; sotheli thei that knowen hym, knowen not hise daies.
Why are not times treasured up with the Almighty? why do not they that know him see his days?
2 Othere men turneden ouer the termes of neiyboris eritage, thei token awei flockis, and fedden tho.
They remove the landmarks; they violently take away the flocks and pasture them;
3 Thei driueden awei the asse of fadirlesse children, and token awei the cow of a widewe for a wed.
They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge;
4 Thei distrieden the weie of pore men, and thei oppressiden togidere the mylde men of erthe.
They turn the needy out of the way: the afflicted of the land all hide themselves.
5 Othere men as wielde assis in deseert goon out to her werk; and thei waken to prey, and bifor maken redy breed to her children.
Lo, [as] wild asses in the desert, they go forth to their work, seeking early for the prey: the wilderness [yieldeth] them food for [their] children.
6 Thei kitten doun a feeld not hern, and thei gaderen grapis of his vyner, whom thei han oppressid bi violence.
They reap in the field the fodder thereof, and they gather the vintage of the wicked;
7 Thei leeuen men nakid, and taken awei the clothis, to whiche men is noon hiling in coold;
They pass the night naked without clothing, and have no covering in the cold;
8 whiche men the reynes of munteyns weeten, and thei han noon hilyng, and biclippen stoonys.
They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and for want of a shelter embrace the rock...
9 Thei diden violence, and robbiden fadirles and modirles children; and thei spuyliden, `ether robbiden, the comynte of pore men.
They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor:
10 Thei token awey eeris of corn fro nakid men, and goynge with out cloth, and fro hungry men.
These go naked without clothing, and, hungry, they bear the sheaf;
11 Thei weren hid in myddai among the heepis of tho men, that thirsten, whanne the presses ben trodun.
They press out oil within their walls, they tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.
12 Thei maden men of citees to weile, and the soulis of woundid men schulen crye; and God suffrith it not to go awei vnpunyschid.
Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out; and God imputeth not the impiety.
13 Thei weren rebel to liyt; thei knewen not the weyes therof, nether thei turneden ayen bi the pathis therof.
There are those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.
14 A mansleere risith ful eerli, and sleeth a nedi man, and a pore man; sotheli bi nyyt he schal be as a nyyt theef.
The murderer riseth with the light, killeth the afflicted and needy, and in the night is as a thief.
15 The iye of avouter kepith derknesse, and seith, An yye schal not se me; and he schal hile his face.
And the eye of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me; and he putteth a covering on [his] face.
16 Thei mynen housis in derknessis, as thei seiden togidere to hem silf in the dai; and thei knewen not liyt.
In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in; they know not the light:
17 If the morewtid apperith sudeynli, thei demen the schadewe of deth; and so thei goon in derknessis as in liyt.
For the morning is to them all [as] the shadow of death; for they are familiar with the terrors of the shadow of death.
18 He is vnstablere than the face of the water; his part in erthe be cursid, and go he not bi the weie of vyneris.
He is swift on the face of the waters; their portion is cursed on the earth: he turneth not unto the way of the vineyards.
19 Passe he to ful greet heete fro the watris of snowis, and the synne of hym `til to hellis. (Sheol h7585)
Drought and heat consume snow waters; so doth Sheol those that have sinned. (Sheol h7585)
20 Merci foryete hym; his swetnesse be a worm; be he not in mynde, but be he al to-brokun as `a tre vnfruytful.
The womb forgetteth him; the worm feedeth sweetly on him: he shall be no more remembered; and unrighteousness is broken as a tree, —
21 For he fedde the bareyn, and hir that childith not, and he dide not wel to the widewe.
He that despoileth the barren that beareth not, and doeth not good to the widow:
22 He drow doun stronge men in his strengthe; and whanne he stondith in `greet state, he schal not bileue to his lijf.
He draweth also the mighty with his power; he riseth up, and no [man] is sure of life.
23 God yaf to hym place of penaunce, and he mysusith that in to pride; for the iyen of God ben in the weies of that man.
[God] setteth him in safety, and he resteth thereon; but his eyes are upon their ways.
24 Thei ben reisid at a litil, and thei schulen not stonde; and thei schulen be maad low as alle thingis, and thei schulen be takun awei; and as the hyynessis of eeris of corn thei schulen be al to-brokun.
They are exalted for a little, and are no more; they are laid low; like all [other] are they gathered, and are cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.
25 That if it is not so, who may repreue me, that Y liede, and putte my wordis bifor God?
If it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?
