Job 38
1 Forsothe the Lord answeride fro the whirlewynd to Joob,
Then the Lord answered Job out of a whirlwind, and said:
2 and seide, Who is this man, wlappynge sentences with vnwise wordis?
Who is this that wrappeth up sentences in unskillful words?
3 Girde thou as a man thi leendis; Y schal axe thee, and answere thou to me.
Gird up thy loins like a man: I will ask thee, and answer thou me.
4 Where were thou, whanne Y settide the foundementis of erthe? schewe thou to me, if thou hast vndurstondyng.
Where wast thou when I laid up the foundations of the earth? tell me if thou hast understanding.
5 Who settide mesures therof, if thou knowist? ethir who stretchide forth a lyne theronne?
Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
6 On what thing ben the foundementis therof maad fast? ether who sente doun the corner stoon therof,
Upon what are its bases grounded? or who laid the corner stone thereof,
7 whanne the morew sterris herieden me togidere, and alle the sones of God sungun ioyfuli?
When the morning stars praised me together, and all the sons of God made a joyful melody?
8 Who closide togidere the see with doris, whanne it brak out comynge forth as of the wombe?
Who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth as issuing out of the womb:
9 Whanne Y settide a cloude the hilyng therof, and Y wlappide it with derknesse, as with clothis of yong childhed.
When I made a cloud the garment thereof, and wrapped it in a mist as in swaddling bands?
10 Y cumpasside it with my termes, and Y settide a barre, and doris;
I set my bounds around it, and made it bars 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 I said: Hitherto thou shalt come, and shalt go no further, and here thou shalt break thy swelling waves.
12 Whethir aftir thi birthe thou comaundist to the bigynnyng of dai, and schewidist to the morewtid his place?
Didst thou since thy birth command the morning, and shew the dawning of the day its place?
13 Whethir thou heldist schakynge togidere the laste partis of erthe, and schakedist awei wickid men therfro?
And didst thou hold the extremities of the earth shaking them, and hast thou shaken the ungodly out of it?
14 A seeling schal be restorid as cley, and it schal stonde as a cloth.
The seal shall be restored as clay, and shall stand as a garment:
15 The liyt of wickid men schal be takun awey fro hem, and an hiy arm schal be brokun.
From the wicked their light shall be taken away, and the high arm shall be broken.
16 Whethir thou entridist in to the depthe of the see, and walkidist in the laste partis of the occian?
Hast thou entered into the depths of the sea, and walked in the lowest parts of the deep?
17 Whether the yatis of deeth ben openyd to thee, and `siest thou the derk doris?
Have the gates of death been opened to thee, and hast thou seen the darksome doors?
18 Whethir thou hast biholde the brede of erthe? Schewe thou to me, if thou knowist alle thingis,
Hast thou considered the breadth of the earth? tell me, if thou knowest all things?
19 in what weie the liyt dwellith, and which is the place of derknesse;
Where is the way where light dwelleth, and where is the place of darkness:
20 that thou lede ech thing to hise termes, and thou vndurstonde the weies of his hows.
That thou mayst bring every thing to its own bounds, and understand the paths of the house thereof.
21 Wistist thou thanne, that thou schuldist be borun, and knew thou the noumbre of thi daies?
Didst thou know then that thou shouldst be born? and didst thou know the number of thy days?
22 Whethir thou entridist in to the tresours of snow, ether biheldist thou the tresours of hail?
Hast thou entered into the storehouses of the snow, or has thou beheld the treasures of the hail:
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 prepared for the time of the enemy, against the day of battle and war?
24 Bi what weie is the liyt spred abrood, heete is departid on erthe?
By what way is the light spread, and heat divided upon the earth?
25 Who yaf cours to the strongeste reyn,
Who gave a course to violent showers, or a way for noisy 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?
That it should rain on the earth without man in the wilderness, where no mortal dwelleth:
27 That it schulde fille a lond with out weie and desolat, and schulde brynge forth greene eerbis?
That it should fill the desert and desolate land, and should bring forth green grass?
28 Who is fadir of reyn, ether who gendride the dropis of deew?
Who is the father of rain? or who begot the drops of dew?
29 Of whos wombe yede out iys, and who gendride frost fro heuene?
Out of whose womb came the ice; and the frost from heaven who hath gendered it?
30 Watris ben maad hard in the licnesse of stoon, and the ouer part of occian is streyned togidere.
The waters are hardened like a stone, and the surface of the deep is congealed.
31 Whether thou schalt mowe ioyne togidere schynynge sterris Pliades, ethir thou schalt mowe distrie the cumpas of Arturis?
Shalt thou be able to join together the shining stars the Pleiades, or canst thou stop the turning about of Arcturus?
32 Whether thou bryngist forth Lucifer, `that is, dai sterre, in his tyme, and makist euene sterre to rise on the sones of erthe?
Canst thou bring forth the day star in its time, and make the evening star to rise upon the children of the earth?
33 Whether thou knowist the ordre of heuene, and schalt sette the resoun therof in erthe?
Dost thou know the order of heaven, and canst thou set down the reason thereof on the earth?
34 Whethir thou schalt reise thi vois in to a cloude, and the fersnesse of watris schal hile thee?
Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that an abundance of waters may cover thee?
35 Whethir thou schalt sende leitis, and tho schulen go, and tho schulen turne ayen, and schulen seie to thee, We ben present?
Canst thou send lightnings, and will they go, and will they return and say to thee: Here we are?
36 Who puttide wisdoom in the entrailis of man, ethir who yaf vndurstondyng to the cok?
Who hath put wisdom in the heart of man? or who gave the cock understanding?
37 Who schal telle out the resoun of heuenes, and who schal make acordyng of heuene to sleep?
Who can declare the order of the heavens, or who can make the harmony of heaven to sleep?
38 Whanne dust was foundid in the erthe, and clottis weren ioyned togidere?
When was the dust poured on the earth, and the clods fastened together?
39 Whether thou schalt take prey to the lionesse, and schalt fille the soulis of hir whelpis,
Wilt thou take the prey for the lioness, and satisfy the appetite of her whelps,
40 whanne tho liggen in caues, and aspien in dennes?
When they couch in the dens and lie in wait in holes?
41 Who makith redi for the crowe his mete, whanne hise briddis crien to God, and wandren aboute, for tho han not meetis?
Who provideth food for the raven, when her young ones cry to God, wandering about, because they have no meat?
