Job 38
1 Forsothe the Lord answeride fro the whirlewynd to Joob,
And the Lord made answer to Job out of the storm-wind, and said,
2 and seide, Who is this man, wlappynge sentences with vnwise wordis?
Who is this who makes the purpose of God dark by words without knowledge?
3 Girde thou as a man thi leendis; Y schal axe thee, and answere thou to me.
Get your strength together like a man of war; I will put questions to you, and you will give me the answers.
4 Where were thou, whanne Y settide the foundementis of erthe? schewe thou to me, if thou hast vndurstondyng.
Where were you when I put the earth on its base? Say, if you have knowledge.
5 Who settide mesures therof, if thou knowist? ethir who stretchide forth a lyne theronne?
By whom were its measures fixed? Say, if you have wisdom; or by whom was the line stretched out over it?
6 On what thing ben the foundementis therof maad fast? ether who sente doun the corner stoon therof,
On what were its pillars based, or who put down its angle-stone,
7 whanne the morew sterris herieden me togidere, and alle the sones of God sungun ioyfuli?
When the morning stars made songs together, and all the sons of the gods gave cries of joy?
8 Who closide togidere the see with doris, whanne it brak out comynge forth as of the wombe?
Or where were you when the sea came to birth, pushing out from its secret place;
9 Whanne Y settide a cloude the hilyng therof, and Y wlappide it with derknesse, as with clothis of yong childhed.
When I made the cloud its robe, and put thick clouds as bands round it,
10 Y cumpasside it with my termes, and Y settide a barre, and doris;
Ordering a fixed limit for it, with locks and doors;
11 and Y seide, `Til hidur thou schalt come, and thou schalt not go forth ferthere; and here thou schalt breke togidere thi bolnynge wawis.
And said, So far you may come, and no farther; and here the pride of your waves will be stopped?
12 Whethir aftir thi birthe thou comaundist to the bigynnyng of dai, and schewidist to the morewtid his place?
Have you, from your earliest days, given orders to the morning, or made the dawn conscious of its place;
13 Whethir thou heldist schakynge togidere the laste partis of erthe, and schakedist awei wickid men therfro?
So that it might take a grip of the skirts of the earth, shaking all the evil-doers out of it?
14 A seeling schal be restorid as cley, and it schal stonde as a cloth.
It is changed like wet earth under a stamp, and is coloured like a robe;
15 The liyt of wickid men schal be takun awey fro hem, and an hiy arm schal be brokun.
And from the evil-doers their light is kept back, and the arm of pride is broken.
16 Whethir thou entridist in to the depthe of the see, and walkidist in the laste partis of the occian?
Have you come into the springs of the sea, walking in the secret places of the deep?
17 Whether the yatis of deeth ben openyd to thee, and `siest thou the derk doris?
Have the doors of death been open to you, or have the door-keepers of the dark ever seen you?
18 Whethir thou hast biholde the brede of erthe? Schewe thou to me, if thou knowist alle thingis,
Have you taken note of the wide limits of the earth? Say, if you have knowledge of it all.
19 in what weie the liyt dwellith, and which is the place of derknesse;
Which is the way to the resting-place of the light, and where is the store-house of the dark;
20 that thou lede ech thing to hise termes, and thou vndurstonde the weies of his hows.
So that you might take it to its limit, guiding it to its house?
21 Wistist thou thanne, that thou schuldist be borun, and knew thou the noumbre of thi daies?
No doubt you have knowledge of it, for then you had come to birth, and the number of your days is great.
22 Whethir thou entridist in to the tresours of snow, ether biheldist thou the tresours of hail?
Have you come into the secret place of snow, or have you seen the store-houses of the ice-drops,
23 whiche thingis Y made redy in to the tyme of an enemy, in to the dai of fiytyng and of batel.
Which I have kept for the time of trouble, for the day of war and fighting?
24 Bi what weie is the liyt spred abrood, heete is departid on erthe?
Which is the way to the place where the wind is measured out, and the east wind sent out over the earth?
25 Who yaf cours to the strongeste reyn,
By whom has the way been cut for the flowing of the rain, and the flaming of the thunder;
26 and weie of the thundur sownynge? That it schulde reyne on the erthe with out man in desert, where noon of deedli men dwellith?
Causing rain to come on a land where no man is living, on the waste land which has no people;
27 That it schulde fille a lond with out weie and desolat, and schulde brynge forth greene eerbis?
To give water to the land where there is waste and destruction, and to make the dry land green with young grass?
28 Who is fadir of reyn, ether who gendride the dropis of deew?
Has the rain a father? or who gave birth to the drops of night mist?
29 Of whos wombe yede out iys, and who gendride frost fro heuene?
Out of whose body came the ice? and who gave birth to the cold mist of heaven?
30 Watris ben maad hard in the licnesse of stoon, and the ouer part of occian is streyned togidere.
The waters are joined together, hard as a stone, and the face of the deep is covered.
31 Whether thou schalt mowe ioyne togidere schynynge sterris Pliades, ethir thou schalt mowe distrie the cumpas of Arturis?
Are the bands of the Pleiades fixed by you, or are the cords of Orion made loose?
32 Whether thou bryngist forth Lucifer, `that is, dai sterre, in his tyme, and makist euene sterre to rise on the sones of erthe?
Do you make Mazzaroth come out in its right time, or are the Bear and its children guided by you?
33 Whether thou knowist the ordre of heuene, and schalt sette the resoun therof in erthe?
Have you knowledge of the laws of the heavens? did you give them rule over the earth?
34 Whethir thou schalt reise thi vois in to a cloude, and the fersnesse of watris schal hile thee?
Is your voice sent up to the cloud, so that you may be covered by the weight of waters?
35 Whethir thou schalt sende leitis, and tho schulen go, and tho schulen turne ayen, and schulen seie to thee, We ben present?
Do you send out the thunder-flames, so that they may go, and say to you, Here we are?
36 Who puttide wisdoom in the entrailis of man, ethir who yaf vndurstondyng to the cok?
Who has put wisdom in the high clouds, or given knowledge to the lights of the north?
37 Who schal telle out the resoun of heuenes, and who schal make acordyng of heuene to sleep?
By whose wisdom are the clouds numbered, or the water-skins of the heavens turned to the earth,
38 Whanne dust was foundid in the erthe, and clottis weren ioyned togidere?
When the earth becomes hard as metal, and is joined together in masses?
39 Whether thou schalt take prey to the lionesse, and schalt fille the soulis of hir whelpis,
Do you go after food for the she-lion, or get meat so that the young lions may have enough,
40 whanne tho liggen in caues, and aspien in dennes?
When they are stretched out in their holes, and are waiting in the brushwood?
41 Who makith redi for the crowe his mete, whanne hise briddis crien to God, and wandren aboute, for tho han not meetis?
Who gives in the evening the meat he is searching for, when his young ones are crying to God; when the young lions with loud noise go wandering after their food?
