< Job 13 >

1 Lo, all — hath mine eye seen, Heard hath mine ear, and it attendeth to it.
Lo! myn iye siy alle thingis, and myn eere herde; and Y vndurstood alle thingis.
2 According to your knowledge I have known — also I. I am not fallen more than you.
Euene with youre kunnyng also Y kan, and Y am not lowere than ye.
3 Yet I for the Mighty One do speak, And to argue for God I delight.
But netheles Y schal speke to Almyyti God, and Y coueite to dispute with God;
4 And yet, ye [are] forgers of falsehood, Physicians of nought — all of you,
and firste Y schewe you makeris of leesyng, and louyeris of weyward techyngis.
5 O that ye would keep perfectly silent, And it would be to you for wisdom.
And `Y wolde that ye weren stille, that ye weren gessid to be wise men.
6 Hear, I pray you, my argument, And to the pleadings of my lips attend,
Therfor here ye my chastisyngis; and perseyue ye the doom of my lippis.
7 For God do ye speak perverseness? And for Him do ye speak deceit?
Whether God hath nede to youre leesyng, that ye speke gilis for hym?
8 His face do ye accept, if for God ye strive?
Whether ye taken his face, and enforsen to deme for God?
9 Is [it] good that He doth search you, If, as one mocketh at a man, ye mock at Him?
Ethir it schal plese hym, fro whom no thing mai be hid? Whether he as a man schal be disseyued with youre falsnessis?
10 He doth surely reprove you, if in secret ye accept faces.
He schal repreue you; for ye taken his face in hiddlis.
11 Doth not His excellency terrify you? And His dread fall upon you?
Anoon as he schal stire hym, he schal disturble you; and his drede schal falle on you.
12 Your remembrances [are] similes of ashes, For high places of clay your heights.
Youre mynde schal be comparisound to aische; and youre nollis schulen be dryuun in to clei.
13 Keep silent from me, and I speak, And pass over me doth what?
Be ye stille a litil, that Y speke, what euer thing the mynde hath schewid to me.
14 Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth? And my soul put in my hand?
Whi to-rende Y my fleischis with my teeth, and bere my lijf in myn hondis?
15 Lo, He doth slay me — I wait not! Only, my ways unto His face I argue.
Yhe, thouy God sleeth me, Y schal hope in hym; netheles Y schal preue my weies in his siyt.
16 Also — He [is] to me for salvation, For the profane cometh not before Him.
And he schal be my sauyour; for whi ech ypocrite schal not come in his siyt.
17 Hear ye diligently my word, And my declaration with your ears.
Here ye my word, and perseyue ye with eeris derke and harde figuratif spechis.
18 Lo, I pray you, I have set in order the cause, I have known that I am righteous.
Yf Y schal be demed, Y woot that Y schal be foundun iust.
19 Who [is] he that doth strive with me? For now I keep silent and gasp.
Who is he that is demed with me? Come he; whi am Y stille, and am wastid?
20 Only two things, O God, do with me: Then from Thy face I am not hidden.
Do thou not to me twei thingis oneli; and thanne Y schal not be hid fro thi face.
21 Thy hand put far off from me, And Thy terror let not terrify me.
Make thin hond fer fro me; and thi drede make not me aferd.
22 And call Thou, and I — I answer, Or — I speak, and answer Thou me.
Clepe thou me, and Y schal answere thee; ethir certis Y schal speke, and thou schalt answere me.
23 How many iniquities and sins have I? My transgression and my sin let me know.
Hou grete synnes and wickidnessis haue Y? Schewe thou to me my felonyes, and trespassis.
24 Why dost Thou hide Thy face? And reckonest me for an enemy to Thee?
Whi hidist thou thi face, and demest me thin enemy?
25 A leaf driven away dost Thou terrify? And the dry stubble dost Thou pursue?
Thou schewist thi myyt ayens a leef, which is rauyschid with the wynd; and thou pursuest drye stobil.
26 For Thou writest against me bitter things, And causest me to possess iniquities of my youth:
For thou writist bitternessis ayens me; and wolt waste me with the synnes of my yong wexynge age.
27 And puttest in the stocks my feet, And observest all my paths, On the roots of my feet Thou settest a print,
Thou hast set my foot in a stok, and thou hast kept alle my pathis; and thou hast biholde the steppis of my feet.
28 And he, as a rotten thing, weareth away, As a garment hath a moth consumed him.
And Y schal be wastid as rot, and as a cloth, which is etun of a mouyte.

< Job 13 >