Job 1
1 `A man, Joob bi name, was in the lond of Hus; and thilke man was symple, and riytful, and dredynge God, and goynge awey fro yuel.
There was a man in the land of Hus, whose name was Job, and that man was simple and upright, and fearing God, and avoiding evil.
2 And seuene sones and thre douytris weren borun to hym;
And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters.
3 and his possessioun was seuene thousynde of scheep, and thre thousynde of camels, and fyue hundrid yockis of oxis, and fyue hundrid of femal assis, and ful myche meynee; and `thilke man was grete among alle men of the eest.
And his possession was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a family exceeding great: and this man was great among all the people of the east.
4 And hise sones yeden, and maden feestis bi housis, ech man in his day; and thei senten, and clepiden her thre sistris, `that thei schulden ete, and drynke wiyn with hem.
And his sons went, and made a feast by houses every one in his day. And sending they called their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
5 And whanne the daies of feeste hadden passid in to the world, Joob sente to hem, and halewide hem, and he roos eerli, and offride brent sacrifices `bi alle. For he seide, Lest perauenture my sones do synne, and curse God in her hertis. Joob dide so in alle daies.
And when the days of their feasting were gone about, Job sent to them, and sanctified them: and rising up early offered holocausts for every one of them. For he said: Lest perhaps my sons have sinned, and have blessed God in their hearts. So did Job all days.
6 Forsothe in sum day, whanne the sones of God `weren comun to be present bifor the Lord, also Sathan cam among hem.
Now on a certain day when the sons of God came to stand before the Lord, Satan also was present among them.
7 To whom the Lord seide, Fro whennus comest thou? Which answeride, and seide, Y haue cumpassid the erthe, and Y haue walkid thorouy it.
And the Lord said to him: Whence comest thou? And he answered and said: I have gone round about the earth, and walked through it.
8 And the Lord seide to hym, Whether thou hast biholde my seruaunt Joob, that noon in erthe is lyik hym; he is a symple man, and riytful, and dredynge God, and goynge awei fro yuel?
And the Lord said to him: Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a simple and upright man, and fearing God, and avoiding evil?
9 To whom Sathan answeride, Whether Joob dredith God veynli?
And Satan answering, said: Doth Job fear God in vain?
10 Whethir thou hast not cumpassid hym, and his hows, and al his catel bi cumpas? Thou hast blessid the werkis of hise hondis, and hise possessioun encreesside in erthe.
Hast not thou made a fence for him, and his house, and all his substance round about, blessed the works of his hands, and his possession hath increased on the earth?
11 But stretche forth thin hond a litil, and touche thou alle thingis whiche he hath in possessioun; if he cursith not thee `in the face, `bileue not to me.
But stretch forth thy hand a little, and touch all that he hath, and see if he blesseth thee not to thy face.
12 Therfor the Lord seide to Sathan, Lo! alle thingis, whiche he hath, ben in thin hond; oneli stretche thou not forth thin hond in to hym. And Sathan yede out fro the face of the Lord.
Then the Lord said to Satan: Behold, all that he hath is in thy hand: only put not forth thy hand upon his person. And Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.
13 Sotheli whanne in sum dai `hise sones and douytris eeten, and drunken wiyn in the hows of her firste gendrid brothir,
Now upon a certain day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother,
14 a messanger cam to Job, `whiche messanger seide, Oxis eriden, and femal assis `weren lesewid bisidis tho;
There came a messenger to Job, and said: The oxen were ploughing, and the asses feeding beside them,
15 and Sabeis felden yn, and token awey alle thingis, and `smytiden the children with swerd; and Y aloone ascapide for to telle to thee.
And the Sabeans rushed in, and took all away, and slew the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell thee.
16 And whanne he spak yit, anothir cam, and seide, Fier of God cam doun fro heuene, and wastide scheep, and `children touchid; and Y aloone ascapide for to telle `to thee.
And while he was yet speaking, another came, and said: The fire of God fell from heaven, and striking the sheep and the servants, hath consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell thee.
17 But yit the while he spak, also anothir cam, and seide, Caldeis maden thre cumpenyes, and assailiden the camels, and token tho awei, and thei smytiden `also the children with swerd; and Y aloone ascapide to telle to thee.
And while he also was yet speaking, there came another, and said: The Chaldeans made three troops, and have fallen upon the camels, and taken them, moreover they have slain the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell thee.
18 And yit he spak, and, lo! anothir entride, and seide, While thi sones and douytris eeten, and drunken wiyn in the hows of her firste gendrid brothir,
He was yet speaking, and behold another came in, and said: Thy sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their elder brother:
19 a greet wynde felde yn sudenli fro the coost of desert, and schook foure corneris of the hows, `which felde doun, and oppresside thi children, and thei ben deed; and Y aloone fledde to telle to thee.
A violent wind came on a sudden from the side of the desert, and shook the four corners of the house, and it fell upon thy children and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to fell thee.
20 Thanne Joob roos, and to-rente hise clothis, and `with pollid heed he felde doun on the erthe, and worschipide God,
Then Job rose up, and rent his garments, and having shaven his head fell down upon the ground and worshipped,
21 and seide, Y yede nakid out of the wombe of my modir, Y schal turne ayen nakid thidur; the Lord yaf, the Lord took awei; as it pleside the Lord, so `it is doon; the name of the Lord be blessid.
And said: Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: as it hath pleased the Lord so is it done: blessed be the name of the Lord.
22 In alle these thingis Joob synnede not in hise lippis, nether spak ony fonned thing ayens God.
In all these things Job sinned not by his lips, nor spoke he any foolish thing against God.
