Job 29
1 Also Joob addide, takynge his parable, and seide,
And Job continued his discourse:
2 Who yyueth to me, that I be bisidis the elde monethis, bi the daies in whiche God kepte me?
“How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me,
3 Whanne his lanterne schynede on myn heed, and Y yede in derknessis at his liyt.
when His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through the darkness,
4 As Y was in the daies of my yongthe, whanne in priuete God was in my tabernacle.
when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God rested on my tent,
5 Whanne Almyyti God was with me, and my children weren in my cumpas;
when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me,
6 whanne Y waischide my feet in botere, and the stoon schedde out to me the stremes of oile;
when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
7 whanne Y yede forth to the yate of the citee, and in the street thei maden redi a chaier to me.
When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square,
8 Yonge men, `that is, wantoun, sien me, and weren hid, and elde men risynge vp stoden;
the young men saw me and withdrew, and the old men rose to their feet.
9 princes ceessiden to speke, and puttiden the fyngur on her mouth;
The princes refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands.
10 duykis refreyneden her vois, and her tunge cleuyde to her throte.
The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.
11 An eere herynge blesside me, and an iye seynge yeldide witnessyng to me;
For those who heard me called me blessed, and those who saw me commended me,
12 for Y hadde delyueride a pore man criynge, and a fadirles child, that hadde noon helpere.
because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper.
13 The blessyng of a man `to perische cam on me, and Y coumfortide the herte of a widewe.
The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
14 Y was clothid with riytfulnesse; and Y clothide me as with a cloth, and with my `doom a diademe.
I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; justice was my robe and my turban.
15 Y was iye `to a blynde man, and foot to a crokyd man.
I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame.
16 Y was a fadir of pore men; and Y enqueride most diligentli the cause, which Y knew not.
I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.
17 Y al tobrak the grete teeth of the wickid man, and Y took awei prey fro hise teeth.
I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth.
18 And Y seide, Y schal die in my nest; and as a palm tre Y schal multiplie daies.
So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest and multiply my days as the sand.
19 My roote is openyde bisidis watris, and deew schal dwelle in my repyng.
My roots will spread out to the waters, and the dew will rest nightly on my branches.
20 My glorie schal euere be renulid, and my bouwe schal be astorid in myn hond.
My glory is ever new within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.’
21 Thei, that herden me, abiden my sentence; and thei weren ententif, and weren stille to my counsel.
Men listened to me with expectation, waiting silently for my counsel.
22 Thei dursten no thing adde to my wordis; and my speche droppide on hem.
After my words, they spoke no more; my speech settled on them like dew.
23 Thei abididen me as reyn; and thei openyden her mouth as to the softe reyn `comynge late.
They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers.
24 If ony tyme Y leiyide to hem, thei bileueden not; and the liyt of my cheer felde not doun in to erthe.
If I smiled at them, they did not believe it; the light of my countenance was precious.
25 If Y wolde go to hem, Y sat the firste; and whanne Y sat as kyng, while the oost stood aboute, netheles Y was comfortour of hem that morenyden.
I chose their course and presided as chief. So I dwelt as a king among his troops, as a comforter of the mourners.
