Job 4
1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: —
Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
2 Hath one tried a word with thee? — Thou art weary! And to keep in words who is able?
If we bigynnen to speke to thee, in hap thou schalt take it heuyli; but who may holde a word conseyued?
3 Lo, thou hast instructed many, And feeble hands thou makest strong.
Lo! thou hast tauyt ful many men, and thou hast strengthid hondis maad feynt.
4 The stumbling one do thy words raise up, And bowing knees thou dost strengthen.
Thi wordis confermyden men doutynge, and thou coumfortidist knees tremblynge.
5 But now, it cometh in unto thee, And thou art weary; It striketh unto thee, and thou art troubled.
But now a wounde is comun on thee, and thou hast failid; it touchide thee, and thou art disturblid.
6 Is not thy reverence thy confidence? Thy hope — the perfection of thy ways?
Where is thi drede, thi strengthe, and thi pacience, and the perfeccioun of thi weies?
7 Remember, I pray thee, Who, being innocent, hath perished? And where have the upright been cut off?
Y biseche thee, haue thou mynde, what innocent man perischide euere, ethir whanne riytful men weren doon awei?
8 As I have seen — ploughers of iniquity, And sowers of misery, reap it!
Certis rathir Y siy hem, that worchen wickidnesse, and sowen sorewis,
9 From the breath of God they perish, And from the spirit of His anger consumed.
and repen tho, to haue perischid bi God blowynge, and to be wastid bi the spirit of his ire.
10 The roaring of a lion, And the voice of a fierce lion, And teeth of young lions have been broken.
The roryng of a lioun, and the vois of a lionesse, and the teeth of `whelpis of liouns ben al to-brokun.
11 An old lion is perishing without prey, And the whelps of the lioness do separate.
Tigris perischide, for sche hadde not prey; and the whelpis of a lioun ben distried.
12 And unto me a thing is secretly brought, And receive doth mine ear a little of it.
Certis an hid word was seid to me, and myn eere took as theueli the veynes of priuy noise therof.
13 In thoughts from visions of the night, In the falling of deep sleep on men,
In the hidousnesse of `nyytis siyt, whanne heuy sleep is wont to occupie men,
14 Fear hath met me, and trembling, And the multitude of my bones caused to fear.
drede and tremblyng helde me; and alle my boonys weren aferd.
15 And a spirit before my face doth pass, Stand up doth the hair of my flesh;
And whanne the spirit `yede in my presence, the heiris of `my fleisch hadden hidousnesse.
16 It standeth, and I discern not its aspect, A similitude [is] over-against mine eyes, Silence! and a voice I hear:
Oon stood, whos chere Y knewe not, an ymage bifor myn iyen; and Y herde a vois as of softe wynd.
17 'Is mortal man than God more righteous? Than his Maker is a man cleaner?
Whether a man schal be maad iust in comparisoun of God? ethir whethir a man schal be clennere than his Makere?
18 Lo, in His servants He putteth no credence, Nor in His messengers setteth praise.'
Lo! thei that seruen hym ben not stidefast; and he findith schrewidnesse in hise aungels.
19 Also — the inhabitants of houses of clay, (Whose foundation [is] in the dust, They bruise them before a moth.)
Hou myche more thei that dwellen in housis of cley, that han an ertheli foundement, schulen be wastyd as of a mouyte.
20 From morning to evening are beaten down, Without any regarding, for ever they perish.
Fro morewtid til to euentid thei schulen be kit doun; and for no man vndurstondith, thei schulen perische with outen ende.
21 Hath not their excellency been removed with them? They die, and not in wisdom!
Sotheli thei, that ben residue, schulen be takun awei; thei schulen die, and not in wisdom.
