Job 38
1 Forsothe the Lord answeride fro the whirlewynd to Joob,
Then Yahweh called to Job out of a fierce storm and said,
2 and seide, Who is this man, wlappynge sentences with vnwise wordis?
“Who is this who brings darkness to plans by means of words without knowledge?
3 Girde thou as a man thi leendis; Y schal axe thee, and answere thou to me.
Now gird up your loins like a man for I will ask you questions, and you must answer me.
4 Where were thou, whanne Y settide the foundementis of erthe? schewe thou to me, if thou hast vndurstondyng.
Where were you when I laid the earth's foundations? Tell me, if you have so much understanding.
5 Who settide mesures therof, if thou knowist? ethir who stretchide forth a lyne theronne?
Who determined its dimensions? Tell me, if you know. Who stretched the measuring line over it?
6 On what thing ben the foundementis therof maad fast? ether who sente doun the corner stoon therof,
On what were its foundations laid? Who laid its cornerstone
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?
Who shut up the sea with doors when it burst out, as if it had come 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 clouds its clothing, and thick darkness its swaddling bands?
10 Y cumpasside it with my termes, and Y settide a barre, and doris;
That was when I marked out for the sea my boundary, and when I placed its 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 when I said to it, 'You may come this far, but no farther; here is where I will put a boundary to the pride of your waves.'
12 Whethir aftir thi birthe thou comaundist to the bigynnyng of dai, and schewidist to the morewtid his place?
Have you given orders to the morning, or caused the dawn to know its place,
13 Whethir thou heldist schakynge togidere the laste partis of erthe, and schakedist awei wickid men therfro?
so that it might take hold of the edges 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.
The earth is changed in appearance like clay changes under a seal; all things on it stand out clearly like the folds of a piece of clothing.
15 The liyt of wickid men schal be takun awey fro hem, and an hiy arm schal be brokun.
From wicked people their 'light' is taken away; their uplifted arm is broken.
16 Whethir thou entridist in to the depthe of the see, and walkidist in the laste partis of the occian?
Have you gone to the sources of the waters of the sea? Have you 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 revealed to you? Have you 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,
Have you understood the earth in its expanse? Tell me, if you know it all.
19 in what weie the liyt dwellith, and which is the place of derknesse;
Where is the way to the resting place of light— as for darkness, where is its place?
20 that thou lede ech thing to hise termes, and thou vndurstonde the weies of his hows.
Can you lead light and darkness to their places of work? Can you find the way back to their houses for them?
21 Wistist thou thanne, that thou schuldist be borun, and knew thou the noumbre of thi daies?
Undoubtedly you know, for you were born then; the number of your days is so large!
22 Whethir thou entridist in to the tresours of snow, ether biheldist thou the tresours of hail?
Have you entered the storehouses for the snow, or have you seen the storehouses for the hail,
23 whiche thingis Y made redy in to the tyme of an enemy, in to the dai of fiytyng and of batel.
these things that I have kept for times of trouble, for days of battle and war?
24 Bi what weie is the liyt spred abrood, heete is departid on erthe?
What is the path to where the lightning bolts are distributed or to where the winds are scattered from the east over the earth?
25 Who yaf cours to the strongeste reyn,
Who has created the channels for the floods of rain, or who has made a path for 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?
to cause it to rain on lands where no person exists, and on the wilderness, in which there is no one,
27 That it schulde fille a lond with out weie and desolat, and schulde brynge forth greene eerbis?
to satisfy the devastated and desolate places, and to make the ground sprout with grass?
28 Who is fadir of reyn, ether who gendride the dropis of deew?
Does the rain have a father, or, who fathers the drops of dew?
29 Of whos wombe yede out iys, and who gendride frost fro heuene?
Out of whose womb did the ice come? Who bore the white frost out of the sky?
30 Watris ben maad hard in the licnesse of stoon, and the ouer part of occian is streyned togidere.
The waters hide themselves and become like stone; the surface of the deep becomes frozen.
31 Whether thou schalt mowe ioyne togidere schynynge sterris Pliades, ethir thou schalt mowe distrie the cumpas of Arturis?
Can you fasten chains on the Pleiades, or undo 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?
Can you lead the constellations to appear at their proper times? Can you guide the Bear with its children?
33 Whether thou knowist the ordre of heuene, and schalt sette the resoun therof in erthe?
Do you know the regulations of the sky? Could you set in place the sky's rule over the earth?
34 Whethir thou schalt reise thi vois in to a cloude, and the fersnesse of watris schal hile thee?
Can you raise your voice up to the clouds, so that an abundance of rainwater may cover you?
35 Whethir thou schalt sende leitis, and tho schulen go, and tho schulen turne ayen, and schulen seie to thee, We ben present?
Can you send out bolts of lightning that they may go out, that they 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 clouds or has given understanding to the mists?
37 Who schal telle out the resoun of heuenes, and who schal make acordyng of heuene to sleep?
Who can number the clouds by his skill? Who can pour out the water skins of the sky
38 Whanne dust was foundid in the erthe, and clottis weren ioyned togidere?
when the dust runs into a hard mass and the clods of earth clump tightly together?
39 Whether thou schalt take prey to the lionesse, and schalt fille the soulis of hir whelpis,
Can you hunt down a victim for a lioness or satisfy the appetite of her young lion cubs
40 whanne tho liggen in caues, and aspien in dennes?
when they are crouching in their dens and sheltering in hiding to lie in wait?
41 Who makith redi for the crowe his mete, whanne hise briddis crien to God, and wandren aboute, for tho han not meetis?
Who provides victims for the ravens when their young ones cry out to God and stagger about for lack of food?
