Job 38
1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind,
Forsothe the Lord answeride fro the whirlewynd to Joob,
2 “Who is this who questions my wisdom by talking so ignorantly?
and seide, Who is this man, wlappynge sentences with vnwise wordis?
3 Prepare yourself, be strong, for I am going to question you, and you must answer me.
Girde thou as a man thi leendis; Y schal axe thee, and answere thou to me.
4 Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have such knowledge!
Where were thou, whanne Y settide the foundementis of erthe? schewe thou to me, if thou hast vndurstondyng.
5 Who decided its dimensions? Don't you know? Who stretched out a measuring line?
Who settide mesures therof, if thou knowist? ethir who stretchide forth a lyne theronne?
6 What do its foundations rest upon? Who laid its cornerstone,
On what thing ben the foundementis therof maad fast? ether who sente doun the corner stoon therof,
7 when the stars of the morning sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.
whanne the morew sterris herieden me togidere, and alle the sones of God sungun ioyfuli?
8 Who laid down the boundaries of the sea when it was born?
Who closide togidere the see with doris, whanne it brak out comynge forth as of the wombe?
9 Who clothed it with clouds, and wrapped it in a blanket of deep darkness?
Whanne Y settide a cloude the hilyng therof, and Y wlappide it with derknesse, as with clothis of yong childhed.
10 I set its limits, marking its borders.
Y cumpasside it with my termes, and Y settide a barre, and doris;
11 I said, ‘You may come here, but no farther. Here is where your proud waves stop.’
and Y seide, `Til hidur thou schalt come, and thou schalt not go forth ferthere; and here thou schalt breke togidere thi bolnynge wawis.
12 During your lifetime, have you ever ordered the morning to begin?
Whethir aftir thi birthe thou comaundist to the bigynnyng of dai, and schewidist to the morewtid his place?
13 Have you ever told the dawn where to appear that it might take hold of the corners of the earth and shake the wicked out?
Whethir thou heldist schakynge togidere the laste partis of erthe, and schakedist awei wickid men therfro?
14 The earth is changed like clay under a seal; its features stand out like a crumpled garment.
A seeling schal be restorid as cley, and it schal stonde as a cloth.
15 The ‘light’ of the wicked is taken away from them; their acts of violence are stopped.
The liyt of wickid men schal be takun awey fro hem, and an hiy arm schal be brokun.
16 Have you entered the sources of the sea? Have you explored their hidden depths?
Whethir thou entridist in to the depthe of the see, and walkidist in the laste partis of the occian?
17 Have you been shown where the gates of death are? Have you seen the gates of utter darkness?
Whether the yatis of deeth ben openyd to thee, and `siest thou the derk doris?
18 Do you know how far the earth extends? Tell me if you know all this!
Whethir thou hast biholde the brede of erthe? Schewe thou to me, if thou knowist alle thingis,
19 In which direction does light live? Where does darkness dwell?
in what weie the liyt dwellith, and which is the place of derknesse;
20 Can you take them home? Do you know the way to where they live?
that thou lede ech thing to hise termes, and thou vndurstonde the weies of his hows.
21 Of course you know, because you were already born then! You've lived so long!
Wistist thou thanne, that thou schuldist be borun, and knew thou the noumbre of thi daies?
22 Have you been to where the snow is kept? Have you seen where the hail is held?
Whethir thou entridist in to the tresours of snow, ether biheldist thou the tresours of hail?
23 I have stored them up for the time of trouble, for the day of war and battle.
whiche thingis Y made redy in to the tyme of an enemy, in to the dai of fiytyng and of batel.
24 Do you know the way to where light comes from, or to where the east wind blows over the earth?
Bi what weie is the liyt spred abrood, heete is departid on erthe?
25 Who cuts a channel for the rain to flow? Who creates a path for the thunderbolt?
Who yaf cours to the strongeste reyn,
26 Who brings rain to an uninhabited land, to a desert where nobody lives,
and weie of the thundur sownynge? That it schulde reyne on the erthe with out man in desert, where noon of deedli men dwellith?
27 to water a parched wasteland to make the green grass grow?
That it schulde fille a lond with out weie and desolat, and schulde brynge forth greene eerbis?
28 Does the rain have a father? Who was the father of the dewdrops?
Who is fadir of reyn, ether who gendride the dropis of deew?
29 Who was the mother of ice? Does the frost of the air have a mother?
Of whos wombe yede out iys, and who gendride frost fro heuene?
30 Water turns into rock-hard ice; its surface freezes solid.
Watris ben maad hard in the licnesse of stoon, and the ouer part of occian is streyned togidere.
31 Can you tie together the stars of the Pleiades? Can you loosen the belt of the Orion constellation?
Whether thou schalt mowe ioyne togidere schynynge sterris Pliades, ethir thou schalt mowe distrie the cumpas of Arturis?
32 Can you guide the stars of Mazzaroth at the right time? Can you direct the Great Bear constellation and its other stars?
Whether thou bryngist forth Lucifer, `that is, dai sterre, in his tyme, and makist euene sterre to rise on the sones of erthe?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you apply them to the earth?
Whether thou knowist the ordre of heuene, and schalt sette the resoun therof in erthe?
34 Can you shout to the clouds and command them to pour rain down on you?
Whethir thou schalt reise thi vois in to a cloude, and the fersnesse of watris schal hile thee?
35 Can you send out bolts of lightning and direct them, so that they can answer you saying, ‘Here we are’?
Whethir thou schalt sende leitis, and tho schulen go, and tho schulen turne ayen, and schulen seie to thee, We ben present?
36 Who has placed wisdom inside people? Who has given understanding to the mind?
Who puttide wisdoom in the entrailis of man, ethir who yaf vndurstondyng to the cok?
37 Who is clever enough to count the clouds? Who can turn heaven's water jars on their sides
Who schal telle out the resoun of heuenes, and who schal make acordyng of heuene to sleep?
38 when the dust has baked into a solid mass?
Whanne dust was foundid in the erthe, and clottis weren ioyned togidere?
39 Can you hunt prey for the lion? Can you feed the lion cubs
Whether thou schalt take prey to the lionesse, and schalt fille the soulis of hir whelpis,
40 as they crouch down in their dens and lie in wait in the bushes?
whanne tho liggen in caues, and aspien in dennes?
41 Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God, weak from starvation?
Who makith redi for the crowe his mete, whanne hise briddis crien to God, and wandren aboute, for tho han not meetis?
