Job 38
1 Forsothe the Lord answeride fro the whirlewynd to Joob,
And YHWH answers Job out of the whirlwind and says:
2 and seide, Who is this man, wlappynge sentences with vnwise wordis?
“Who [is] this—darkening counsel, By words without knowledge?
3 Girde thou as a man thi leendis; Y schal axe thee, and answere thou to me.
Now gird your loins as a man, And I ask you, and you cause Me to know.
4 Where were thou, whanne Y settide the foundementis of erthe? schewe thou to me, if thou hast vndurstondyng.
Where were you when I founded the earth? Declare, if you have known understanding.
5 Who settide mesures therof, if thou knowist? ethir who stretchide forth a lyne theronne?
Who placed its measures—if you know? Or who has stretched out a line on it?
6 On what thing ben the foundementis therof maad fast? ether who sente doun the corner stoon therof,
On what have its sockets been sunk? Or who has cast its cornerstone—
7 whanne the morew sterris herieden me togidere, and alle the sones of God sungun ioyfuli?
In the singing together of [the] stars of morning, When all [the] sons of God shout for joy?
8 Who closide togidere the see with doris, whanne it brak out comynge forth as of the wombe?
And He shuts up the sea with doors, In its coming forth, it goes out from the womb.
9 Whanne Y settide a cloude the hilyng therof, and Y wlappide it with derknesse, as with clothis of yong childhed.
In My making a cloud its clothing, And thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 Y cumpasside it with my termes, and Y settide a barre, and doris;
And I measure My statute over it, And place bar 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 say, To here you come, and no more, And a command is placed On the pride of your billows.
12 Whethir aftir thi birthe thou comaundist to the bigynnyng of dai, and schewidist to the morewtid his place?
Have you commanded morning since your days? Do you cause the dawn to know its place?
13 Whethir thou heldist schakynge togidere the laste partis of erthe, and schakedist awei wickid men therfro?
To take hold on the skirts of the earth, And the wicked are shaken out of it,
14 A seeling schal be restorid as cley, and it schal stonde as a cloth.
It turns itself as clay of a seal And they station themselves as clothed.
15 The liyt of wickid men schal be takun awey fro hem, and an hiy arm schal be brokun.
And their light is withheld from the wicked, And the arm lifted up 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 to springs of the sea? And in searching the deep Have you walked up and down?
17 Whether the yatis of deeth ben openyd to thee, and `siest thou the derk doris?
Were the gates of death revealed to you? And do you see the gates of death-shade?
18 Whethir thou hast biholde the brede of erthe? Schewe thou to me, if thou knowist alle thingis,
You have understanding, Even to the broad places of earth! Declare—if you have known it all.
19 in what weie the liyt dwellith, and which is the place of derknesse;
Where [is] this—the way light dwells? And darkness, where [is] this—its place?
20 that thou lede ech thing to hise termes, and thou vndurstonde the weies of his hows.
That you take it to its boundary, And that you understand the paths of its house.
21 Wistist thou thanne, that thou schuldist be borun, and knew thou the noumbre of thi daies?
You have known—for then you are born, And the number of your days [are] many!
22 Whethir thou entridist in to the tresours of snow, ether biheldist thou the tresours of hail?
Have you come to the treasure of snow? Indeed, do you see the treasures of hail,
23 whiche thingis Y made redy in to the tyme of an enemy, in to the dai of fiytyng and of batel.
That I have kept back for a time of distress, For a day of conflict and battle?
24 Bi what weie is the liyt spred abrood, heete is departid on erthe?
Where [is] this, the way light is apportioned? It scatters an east wind over the earth.
25 Who yaf cours to the strongeste reyn,
Who has divided a conduit for the flood? And a way for the lightning of the voices?
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?
To cause [it] to rain on a land [with] no man, A wilderness [with] no man in it.
27 That it schulde fille a lond with out weie and desolat, and schulde brynge forth greene eerbis?
To satisfy a desolate and ruined place, And to cause to shoot up The produce of the tender grass?
28 Who is fadir of reyn, ether who gendride the dropis of deew?
Does the rain have a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 Of whos wombe yede out iys, and who gendride frost fro heuene?
From whose belly came forth the ice? And the hoarfrost of the heavens, Who has begotten it?
30 Watris ben maad hard in the licnesse of stoon, and the ouer part of occian is streyned togidere.
Waters are hidden as a stone, And the face of the deep is captured.
31 Whether thou schalt mowe ioyne togidere schynynge sterris Pliades, ethir thou schalt mowe distrie the cumpas of Arturis?
Do you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Or do you open the cords of Orion?
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 bring out the twelve signs in [their] season? And do you comfort the Great Bear over her sons?
33 Whether thou knowist the ordre of heuene, and schalt sette the resoun therof in erthe?
Have you known the statutes of the heavens? Or do you appoint Its dominion in the earth?
34 Whethir thou schalt reise thi vois in to a cloude, and the fersnesse of watris schal hile thee?
Do you lift up your voice to the cloud, And abundance of water covers you?
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 lightnings, and they go And say to you, Behold us?
36 Who puttide wisdoom in the entrailis of man, ethir who yaf vndurstondyng to the cok?
Who has put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who has given understanding to the covered part?
37 Who schal telle out the resoun of heuenes, and who schal make acordyng of heuene to sleep?
Who numbers the clouds by wisdom? And the bottles of the heavens, Who causes to lie down,
38 Whanne dust was foundid in the erthe, and clottis weren ioyned togidere?
In the hardening of dust into hardness, And clods cleave together?
39 Whether thou schalt take prey to the lionesse, and schalt fille the soulis of hir whelpis,
Do you hunt prey for a lion? And fulfill the desire of young lions?
40 whanne tho liggen in caues, and aspien in dennes?
When they bow down in dens—Abide in a thicket for a covert?
41 Who makith redi for the crowe his mete, whanne hise briddis crien to God, and wandren aboute, for tho han not meetis?
Who prepares for a raven his provision, When his young ones cry to God? They wander without food.”
