Job 33
1 Therfor, Joob, here thou my spechis, and herkene alle my wordis.
Therefore do thou but hear, O Job, my speeches, and give ear to all my words.
2 Lo! Y haue openyd my mouth, my tunge schal speke in my chekis.
Behold now, I have opened my mouth, my tongue speaketh in my mouth.
3 Of symple herte ben my wordis, and my lippis schulen speke clene sentence.
Out of my straightforward heart [come] my sayings, and my lips utter knowledge clearly.
4 The spirit of God made me, and the brething of Almyyti God quykenyde me.
The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty giveth me life.
5 If thou maist, answere thou to me, and stoonde thou ayens my face.
If thou canst, answer me, array thyself before me, stand forward.
6 Lo! God made me as and thee; and also Y am formyd of the same cley.
Behold, I am in the same relation as thyself toward God: I myself also am cut out of the clay.
7 Netheles my myracle make thee not afeerd, and myn eloquence be not greuouse to thee.
Behold, dread of me cannot terrify thee, and my pressure will not be too heavy upon thee.
8 Therfor thou seidist in myn eeris, and Y herde the vois of thi wordis;
But thou hast said before my ears, and the sound of the words I still hear,
9 Y am cleene, and with out gilt, and vnwemmed, and wickidnesse is not in me.
“I am pure without transgression, I am quite clean; and there is no iniquity in me:
10 `For God foond querels in me, therfor he demyde me enemy to hym silf.
Yet, behold, he findeth hateful backsliding on me, he regardeth me as an enemy unto him;
11 He hath set my feet in a stok; he kepte alle my pathis.
He putteth my feet in the stocks, he watcheth all my paths.”
12 Therfor this thing it is, in which thou art not maad iust; Y schal answere to thee, that God is more than man.
Behold, In this thou art not just: I will answer thee; for God is far greater than a mortal.
13 Thou stryuest ayenus God, that not at alle wordis he answeride to thee.
Why dost thou contend against him? for with all his words will he not give an answer.
14 God spekith onys, and the secounde tyme he rehersith not the same thing.
For God speaketh once, yea twice: [yet man] regardeth it not.
15 God spekith bi a dreem in the visioun of nyyt, whanne sleep fallith on men, and thei slepen in the bed.
In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumbers upon the couch:
16 Thanne he openith the eeris of men, and he techith hem, `and techith prudence;
Then doth he lay open the ear of men, and sealeth it with their warning;
17 that he turne awei a man fro these thingis whiche he made, and delyuere hym fro pride; delyuerynge his soule fro corrupcioun,
To remove the son of earth [from his intended] deed and he covereth up pride from man;
18 and his lijf, that it go not in to swerd.
He withholdeth his soul from the pit, and his life from passing away by the sword.
19 Also God blameth a synnere bi sorewe in the bed, and makith alle the boonys of hym `to fade.
And so is he admonished by pain upon his couch, and all his bones with violent [aches].
20 Breed is maad abhomynable to hym in his lijf, and mete desirable `bifor to his soule.
So that his inclination abhorreth bread, and his soul, the most agreeable food.
21 His fleisch schal faile for rot, and hise boonys, that weren hilid, schulen be maad nakid.
His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen, and his bones that were not seen stick out.
22 His soule schal neiye to corrupcioun, and his lijf to thingis `bryngynge deeth.
Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit, and his life to those that slay.
23 If an aungel, oon of a thousynde, is spekynge for hym, that he telle the equyte of man, God schal haue mercy on hym,
If there be now about him one single angel, as defender, one out of a thousand, to tell for man his uprightness:
24 and schal seie, Delyuere thou hym, that he go not doun in to corrupcioun; Y haue founde in what thing Y schal do merci to hym.
Then is he gracious unto him, and saith, Release him from going down to the pit, I have found an atonement.
25 His fleisch is wastid of turmentis; turne he ayen to the daies of his yonge wexynge age.
His flesh becometh full again as in youth: he returneth to the days of his boyhood.
26 He schal biseche God, and he schal be quemeful to hym; and he schal se his face in hertly ioye, and he schal yelde to man his riytfulnesse.
He will offer his entreaty unto God, and he will receive him in favor, that he may see his face with joy: so doth He recompense unto the mortal his righteousness.
27 He schal biholde men, and he schal seie, Y haue synned, and verili Y haue trespassid; and Y haue not resseyued, as Y was worthi.
He then should assemble men around, and say, “I had sinned, and perverted what is right, yet have I not received a like return.”
28 For he delyueride his soule, that it schulde not go in to perischyng, but that he lyuynge schulde se liyt.
Thus he redeemeth his soul from passing into the pit, and his life will look joyously on the light.
29 Lo! God worchith alle these thingis in thre tymes bi alle men;
Lo, all these things doth God two or three times with man;
30 that he ayen clepe her soulis fro corrupcioun, and liytne in the liyt of lyuynge men.
To bring back his soul from the pit, that she may shine in the light of life.
31 Thou, Joob, perseyue, and here me, and be thou stille, the while Y speke.
Listen well, O Job, hearken unto me: keep silence, and I will truly speak.
32 Sotheli if thou hast what thou schalt speke, answere thou to me, speke thou; for Y wole, that thou appere iust.
If thou hast any words, answer me: speak, for I wish to justify thee.
33 That if thou hast not, here thou me; be thou stille, and Y schal teche thee wisdom.
If not, hearken thou unto me: keep silence, and I will teach thee wisdom.
