Job 38
1 Forsothe the Lord answeride fro the whirlewynd to Joob,
Then spake Jehovah to Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
2 and seide, Who is this man, wlappynge sentences with vnwise wordis?
Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
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 the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding!
5 Who settide mesures therof, if thou knowist? ethir who stretchide forth a lyne theronne?
Who fixed its dimensions, that thou shouldst know it! Or who stretched out the line upon it?
6 On what thing ben the foundementis therof maad fast? ether who sente doun the corner stoon therof,
Upon what were its foundations fixed? And who laid its corner-stone,
7 whanne the morew sterris herieden me togidere, and alle the sones of God sungun ioyfuli?
When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 Who closide togidere the see with doris, whanne it brak out comynge forth as of the wombe?
And who shut up the sea with doors, When it burst forth as from 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 the clouds its mantle, And thick darkness its swaddling-band;
10 Y cumpasside it with my termes, and Y settide a barre, and doris;
When I appointed for it my bound, And fixed for 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 said, Thus far shalt thou come, and no farther, And here shall thy proud waves be stayed!
12 Whethir aftir thi birthe thou comaundist to the bigynnyng of dai, and schewidist to the morewtid his place?
Hast thou, in thy life, given charge to the morning, Or caused the day-spring to know its place,
13 Whethir thou heldist schakynge togidere the laste partis of erthe, and schakedist awei wickid men therfro?
That it should lay hold of the ends of the earth, And shake the wicked out of it?
14 A seeling schal be restorid as cley, and it schal stonde as a cloth.
It is changed as clay by the seal; And all things stand forth as in rich apparel.
15 The liyt of wickid men schal be takun awey fro hem, and an hiy arm schal be brokun.
But from the wicked their light is withheld, And the high-raised arm is broken.
16 Whethir thou entridist in to the depthe of the see, and walkidist in the laste partis of the occian?
Hast thou visited the springs of the sea, And walked through the recesses 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 disclosed to thee, And hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?
18 Whethir thou hast biholde the brede of erthe? Schewe thou to me, if thou knowist alle thingis,
Hast thou surveyed the breadth of the earth? Declare, if thou knowest it all!
19 in what weie the liyt dwellith, and which is the place of derknesse;
Where is the way to the abode of light? And darkness—where is its dwelling-place?
20 that thou lede ech thing to hise termes, and thou vndurstonde the weies of his hows.
That thou shouldst lead it to its boundary, And that thou shouldst know the paths to its mansion!
21 Wistist thou thanne, that thou schuldist be borun, and knew thou the noumbre of thi daies?
Surely thou knowest; for thou wast then born! And the number of thy years is great!
22 Whethir thou entridist in to the tresours of snow, ether biheldist thou the tresours of hail?
Hast thou visited the storehouses of the snow, Or seen the treasuries 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 reserved against the time of trouble, —Against the day of battle and war?
24 Bi what weie is the liyt spred abrood, heete is departid on erthe?
What is the way to where light is distributed, And the east wind spread abroad upon the earth?
25 Who yaf cours to the strongeste reyn,
Who hath prepared channels for the rain, And a path for the thunder-flash,
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 give rain to the land without an inhabitant, To the wilderness wherein is no man;
27 That it schulde fille a lond with out weie and desolat, and schulde brynge forth greene eerbis?
To satisfy the desolate and waste ground, And cause the tender herb to spring forth?
28 Who is fadir of reyn, ether who gendride the dropis of deew?
Hath the rain a father? Or who hath begotten the drops of the dew?
29 Of whos wombe yede out iys, and who gendride frost fro heuene?
Out of whose womb came the ice? And who hath gendered the hoar-frost of heaven?
30 Watris ben maad hard in the licnesse of stoon, and the ouer part of occian is streyned togidere.
The waters are hid as under stone, And the face of the deep becometh solid.
31 Whether thou schalt mowe ioyne togidere schynynge sterris Pliades, ethir thou schalt mowe distrie the cumpas of Arturis?
Canst thou fasten the bands of the Pleiades, Or loosen the chains 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?
Canst thou lead forth the Signs in their season, Or guide the Bear with her sons?
33 Whether thou knowist the ordre of heuene, and schalt sette the resoun therof in erthe?
Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? Hast thou appointed their dominion over 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, So that abundance of waters will 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 forth lightnings, so that they will go, 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 understanding in the reins, And given intelligence to the mind?
37 Who schal telle out the resoun of heuenes, and who schal make acordyng of heuene to sleep?
Who numbereth the clouds in wisdom? And who poureth out the bottles of heaven,
38 Whanne dust was foundid in the erthe, and clottis weren ioyned togidere?
When the dust floweth into a molten mass, And the clods cleave fast together?
39 Whether thou schalt take prey to the lionesse, and schalt fille the soulis of hir whelpis,
Canst thou hunt prey for the lioness, Or satisfy the hunger of the young lions,
40 whanne tho liggen in caues, and aspien in dennes?
When they couch in their dens, And lie in wait in the thicket?
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 for the raven his food, When his young ones cry unto God, While they wander about without food?
