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 'Uz, Job was his name; And this man was perfect and upright, and fearing God, and eschewing evil.
2 And seuene sones and thre douytris weren borun to hym;
And there were born unto 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 cattle consisted of seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and he had a very great store of servants: so that this man was greater than all the sons 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 used to go and prepare a feast in the house of every one on his day; and they sent and invited their three sisters to eat and to 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 it happened, when the days of the feast were gone round, that Job sent and sanctified them, and he then rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of all of them; for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and have renounced God in their heart. In this manner used Job to do all the time.
6 Forsothe in sum day, whanne the sones of God `weren comun to be present bifor the Lord, also Sathan cam among hem.
Now it happened on a certain day, when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, that the Accuser also came in the midst of 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.
Then said the Lord unto the Accuser, Whence comest thou? And the Accuser answered the Lord, and said, From roaming over the earth, and from wandering 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?
Then said the Lord unto the Accuser, Hast thou directed thy attention toward my servant Job; for there is none like him on the earth, a man perfect and upright, who feareth God, and escheweth evil?
9 To whom Sathan answeride, Whether Joob dredith God veynli?
Then answered the Accuser the Lord, and said, Is it for nought that Job feareth God?
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.
Behold, thou hast indeed placed a fence about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side: the work of his hands hast thou blessed, and his cattle are far spread out in the land.
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 only forth thy hand and touch all that he hath, and [see] whether he will not renounce thee 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 said the Lord unto the Accuser, Behold, all that is his be in thy power; only against himself shalt thou not stretch forth thy hand. The Accuser went thereupon away 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,
And it happened on a certain day, when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their first-born brother,
14 a messanger cam to Job, `whiche messanger seide, Oxis eriden, and femal assis `weren lesewid bisidis tho;
That a messenger came unto Job, and said, The oxen were ploughing, and the she-asses were 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.
When the Sabeans made an incursion, and took them away, and the young men they slew with the edge of the sword; and I am escaped, none but myself alone, to tell it unto 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.
This one was yet speaking, when another came, and said, A fire of God fell from heaven, and burnt among the sheep and the young men, and consumed them; and I am escaped, none but myself alone, to tell it unto 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.
This one was yet speaking, when another came, and said, The Chaldeans posted themselves in three divisions, and made an inroad against the camels, and took them away, and the young men they slew with the edge of the sword; and I am escaped, none but myself alone, to tell it unto 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,
While this one was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their first-born 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.
When, behold, a violent wind came from the direction of the wilderness, and struck against the four corners of the house, so that it fell upon the young men, and they died; and I am escaped, none but myself alone, to tell it unto thee.
20 Thanne Joob roos, and to-rente hise clothis, and `with pollid heed he felde doun on the erthe, and worschipide God,
Then arose Job, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and prostrated himself.
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 he 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; may the name of the Lord be blessed.
22 In alle these thingis Joob synnede not in hise lippis, nether spak ony fonned thing ayens God.
With all this did Job not sin, and attributed no injustice to God.
