Job 5
1 Therfor clepe thou, if `ony is that schal answere thee, and turne thou to summe of seyntis.
Call nowe, if any will answere thee, and to which of the Saintes wilt thou turne?
2 Wrathfulnesse sleeth `a fonned man, and enuye sleeth a litil child.
Doubtlesse anger killeth the foolish, and enuie slayeth the idiote.
3 Y siy a fool with stidefast rote, and Y curside his feirnesse anoon.
I haue seene the foolish well rooted, and suddenly I cursed his habitation, saying,
4 Hise sones schulen be maad fer fro helthe, and thei schulen be defoulid in the yate, and `noon schal be that schal delyuere hem.
His children shalbe farre from saluation, and they shall be destroyed in the gate, and none shall deliuer them.
5 Whos ripe corn an hungri man schal ete, and an armed man schal rauysche hym, and thei, that thirsten, schulen drynke hise richessis.
The hungrie shall eate vp his haruest: yea, they shall take it from among the thornes, and the thirstie shall drinke vp their substance.
6 No thing is doon in erthe with out cause, and sorewe schal not go out of the erthe.
For miserie commeth not foorth of the dust, neither doeth affliction spring out of the earth.
7 A man is borun to labour, and a brid to fliyt.
But man is borne vnto trauaile, as the sparkes flie vpwarde.
8 Wherfor Y schal biseche the Lord, and Y schal sette my speche to my God.
But I would inquire at God, and turne my talke vnto God:
9 That makith grete thingis, and that moun not be souyt out, and wondurful thingis with out noumbre.
Which doeth great things and vnsearchable, and marueilous things without nomber.
10 Which yyueth reyn on the face of erthe, and moistith alle thingis with watris.
He giueth raine vpon the earth, and powreth water vpon the streetes,
11 Which settith meke men an hiy, and reisith with helthe hem that morenen.
And setteth vp on hie them that be lowe, that the sorowfull may be exalted to saluation.
12 Which distrieth the thouytis of yuel willid men, that her hondis moun not fille tho thingis that thei bigunnen.
He scattereth the deuices of the craftie: so that their handes can not accomplish that which they doe enterprise.
13 Which takith cautelouse men in the felnesse `of hem, and distrieth the counsel of schrewis.
He taketh the wise in their craftinesse, and the counsel of the wicked is made foolish.
14 Bi dai thei schulen renne in to derknessis, and as in nyyt so thei schulen grope in myddai.
They meete with darkenesse in the day time, and grope at noone day, as in the night.
15 Certis God schal make saaf a nedi man fro the swerd of her mouth, and a pore man fro the hond of the violent, `ethir rauynour.
But he saueth the poore from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hande of the violent man,
16 And hope schal be to a nedi man, but wickidnesse schal drawe togidere his mouth.
So that the poore hath his hope, but iniquitie shall stop her mouth.
17 Blessid is the man, which is chastisid of the Lord; therfor repreue thou not the blamyng of the Lord.
Beholde, blessed is the man whome God correcteth: therefore refuse not thou the chastising of the Almightie.
18 For he woundith, and doith medicyn; he smytith, and hise hondis schulen make hool.
For he maketh the wound, and bindeth it vp: he smiteth, and his handes make whole.
19 In sixe tribulaciouns he schal delyuere thee, and in the seuenthe tribulacioun yuel schal not touche thee.
He shall deliuer thee in sixe troubles, and in the seuenth the euill shall not touch thee.
20 In hungur he schal delyuere thee fro deeth, and in batel fro the power of swerd.
In famine he shall deliuer thee from death: and in battel from the power of the sworde.
21 Thou schalt be hid fro the scourge of tunge, and thou schalt not drede myseiste, `ethir wretchidnesse, whanne it cometh.
Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue, and thou shalt not be afraid of destruction when it commeth.
22 In distriyng maad of enemyes and in hungur thou schalt leiye, and thou schalt not drede the beestis of erthe.
But thou shalt laugh at destruction and dearth, and shalt not be afraide of the beast of the earth.
23 But thi couenaunt schal be with the stonys of erthe, and beestis of erthe schulen be pesible to thee.
For the stones of the fielde shall be in league with thee, and the beastes of the field shall be at peace with thee.
24 And thou schalt wite, that thi tabernacle hath pees, and thou visitynge thi fairnesse schalt not do synne.
And thou shalt knowe, that peace shall be in thy tabernacle, and thou shalt visite thine habitation, and shalt not sinne.
25 And thou schalt wite also, that thi seed schal be many fold, and thi generacioun schal be as an erbe of erthe.
Thou shalt perceiue also, that thy seede shalbe great, and thy posteritie as the grasse of the earth.
26 In abundaunce thou schalt go in to the sepulcre, as an heep of wheete is borun in his tyme.
Thou shalt goe to thy graue in a ful age, as a ricke of corne commeth in due season into the barne.
27 Lo! this is so, as we han souyt; which thing herd, trete thou in minde.
Lo, thus haue we inquired of it, and so it is: heare this and knowe it for thy selfe.
