Job 4
1 Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
And Eliphaz the Temanite made answer and said,
2 If we bigynnen to speke to thee, in hap thou schalt take it heuyli; but who may holde a word conseyued?
If one says a word, will it be a weariness to you? but who is able to keep from saying what is in his mind?
3 Lo! thou hast tauyt ful many men, and thou hast strengthid hondis maad feynt.
Truly, you have been a helper to others, and you have made feeble hands strong;
4 Thi wordis confermyden men doutynge, and thou coumfortidist knees tremblynge.
He who was near to falling has been lifted up by your words, and you have given strength to bent knees.
5 But now a wounde is comun on thee, and thou hast failid; it touchide thee, and thou art disturblid.
But now it has come on you and it is a weariness to you; you are touched by it and your mind is troubled.
6 Where is thi drede, thi strengthe, and thi pacience, and the perfeccioun of thi weies?
Is not your fear of God your support, and your upright way of life your hope?
7 Y biseche thee, haue thou mynde, what innocent man perischide euere, ethir whanne riytful men weren doon awei?
Have you ever seen destruction come to an upright man? or when were the god-fearing ever cut off?
8 Certis rathir Y siy hem, that worchen wickidnesse, and sowen sorewis,
What I have seen is that those by whom trouble has been ploughed, and evil planted, get the same for themselves.
9 and repen tho, to haue perischid bi God blowynge, and to be wastid bi the spirit of his ire.
By the breath of God destruction takes them, and by the wind of his wrath they are cut off.
10 The roryng of a lioun, and the vois of a lionesse, and the teeth of `whelpis of liouns ben al to-brokun.
Though the noise of the lion and the sounding of his voice, may be loud, the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11 Tigris perischide, for sche hadde not prey; and the whelpis of a lioun ben distried.
The old lion comes to his end for need of food, and the young of the she-lion go wandering in all directions.
12 Certis an hid word was seid to me, and myn eere took as theueli the veynes of priuy noise therof.
A word was given to me secretly, and the low sound of it came to my ears.
13 In the hidousnesse of `nyytis siyt, whanne heuy sleep is wont to occupie men,
In troubled thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep comes on men,
14 drede and tremblyng helde me; and alle my boonys weren aferd.
Fear came on me and shaking, and my bones were full of trouble;
15 And whanne the spirit `yede in my presence, the heiris of `my fleisch hadden hidousnesse.
And a breath was moving over my face; the hair of my flesh became stiff:
16 Oon stood, whos chere Y knewe not, an ymage bifor myn iyen; and Y herde a vois as of softe wynd.
Something was present before me, but I was not able to see it clearly; there was a form before my eyes: a quiet voice came to my ears, saying:
17 Whether a man schal be maad iust in comparisoun of God? ethir whethir a man schal be clennere than his Makere?
May a man be upright before God? or a man be clean before his Maker?
18 Lo! thei that seruen hym ben not stidefast; and he findith schrewidnesse in hise aungels.
Truly, he puts no faith in his servants, and he sees error in his angels;
19 Hou myche more thei that dwellen in housis of cley, that han an ertheli foundement, schulen be wastyd as of a mouyte.
How much more those living in houses of earth, whose bases are in the dust! They are crushed more quickly than an insect;
20 Fro morewtid til to euentid thei schulen be kit doun; and for no man vndurstondith, thei schulen perische with outen ende.
Between morning and evening they are completely broken; they come to an end for ever, and no one takes note.
21 Sotheli thei, that ben residue, schulen be takun awei; thei schulen die, and not in wisdom.
If their tent-cord is pulled up, do they not come to an end, and without wisdom?
