Job 31
1 “I made a covenant for my eyes, And how do I attend to a virgin?
I made couenaunt with myn iyen, that Y schulde not thenke of a virgyn.
2 And what [is] the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights?
For what part schulde God aboue haue in me, and eritage Almyyti God of hiye thingis?
3 Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?
Whether perdicioun is not to a wickid man, and alienacioun of God is to men worchynge wickidnesse?
4 Does He not see my ways, And number all my steps?
Whether he biholdith not my weies, and noumbrith alle my goyngis?
5 If I have walked with vanity, And my foot hurries to deceit,
If Y yede in vanyte, and my foot hastide in gile,
6 He weighs me in righteous balances, And God knows my integrity.
God weie me in a iust balaunce, and knowe my symplenesse.
7 If my step turns aside from the way, And my heart has gone after my eyes, And blemish has cleaved to my hands,
If my step bowide fro the weie; if myn iye suede myn herte, and a spotte cleuede to myn hondis;
8 Let me sow—and another eat, And let my products be rooted out.
sowe Y, and another ete, and my generacioun be drawun out bi the root.
9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman, And I laid wait by the opening of my neighbor,
If myn herte was disseyued on a womman, and if Y settide aspies at the dore of my frend; my wijf be the hoore of anothir man,
10 Let my wife grind to another, And let others bend over her.
and othir men be bowid doun on hir.
11 For it [is] a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;
For this is vnleueful, and the moost wickidnesse.
12 For it [is] a fire, it consumes to destruction, And takes root among all my increase,
Fier is deourynge `til to wastyng, and drawynge vp bi the roote alle generaciouns.
13 If I despise the cause of my manservant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,
If Y dispiside to take doom with my seruaunt and myn hand mayde, whanne thei stryueden ayens me.
14 Then what do I do when God arises? And when He inspects, What do I answer Him?
What sotheli schal Y do, whanne God schal rise to deme? and whanne he schal axe, what schal Y answere to hym?
15 Did He that made me in the womb not make him? Indeed, One prepares us in the womb.
Whether he, that wrouyte also hym, made not me in the wombe, and o God formede me in the wombe?
16 If I withhold the poor from pleasure, And consume the eyes of the widow,
If Y denyede to pore men that, that thei wolden, and if Y made the iyen of a wydewe to abide;
17 And I eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan has nothing [to] eat of it,
if Y aloone eet my mussel, and a faderles child eet not therof;
18 (But from my youth He grew up with me as [with] a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led),
for merciful doyng encreesside with me fro my yong childhed, and yede out of my modris wombe with me;
19 If I see [any] perishing without clothing, And there is no covering for the needy,
if Y dispiside a man passynge forth, for he hadde not a cloth, and a pore man with out hilyng;
20 If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He does not warm himself,
if hise sidis blessiden not me, and was not maad hoot of the fleeces of my scheep;
21 If I have waved my hand at the fatherless, When I see [him] in the gate of my court,
if Y reiside myn hond on a fadirles child, yhe, whanne Y siy me the hiyere in the yate;
22 Let my shoulder fall from its blade, And the bone from my arm be broken.
my schuldre falle fro his ioynt, and myn arm with hise boonys be al to-brokun.
23 For calamity [from] God [is] a dread to me, And because of His excellence I am not able.
For euere Y dredde God, as wawis wexynge gret on me; and `Y myyte not bere his birthun.
24 If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, My trust;
If Y gesside gold my strengthe, and if Y seide to purid gold, Thou art my trist;
25 If I rejoice because my wealth [is] great, And because my hand has found abundance,
if Y was glad on my many ritchessis, and for myn hond foond ful many thingis;
26 If I see the light when it shines, And the precious moon walking,
if Y siy the sunne, whanne it schynede, and the moone goynge clereli;
27 And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand kisses my mouth,
and if myn herte was glad in priuyte, and if Y kisside myn hond with my mouth;
28 It also [is] a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.
which is the moost wickidnesse, and deniyng ayens hiyeste God;
29 If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him,
if Y hadde ioye at the fallyng of hym, that hatide me, and if Y ioide fulli, that yuel hadde founde hym;
30 Indeed, I have not permitted my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.
for Y yaf not my throte to do synne, that Y schulde asaile and curse his soule;
31 If not, say, O men of my tent: O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.
if the men of my tabernacle seiden not, Who yyueth, that we be fillid of hise fleischis? a pilgryme dwellide not with outforth;
32 A stranger does not lodge in the street, I open my doors to the traveler.
my dore was opyn to a weiegoere;
33 If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, To hide my iniquity in my bosom,
if Y as man hidde my synne, and helide my wickidnesse in my bosum;
34 Because I fear a great multitude, And the contempt of families frightens me, Then I am silent, I do not go out of the opening.
if Y dredde at ful greet multitude, and if dispisyng of neyyboris made me aferd; and not more Y was stille, and yede not out of the dore;
35 Who gives to me a hearing? Behold, my mark. The Mighty One answers me, And my adversary has written a bill.
who yyueth an helpere to me, that Almyyti God here my desire? that he that demeth,
36 If not—on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it [as] a crown on myself.
write a book, that Y bere it in my schuldre, and cumpasse it as a coroun to me?
37 The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.
Bi alle my degrees Y schal pronounce it, and Y schal as offre it to the prynce.
38 If my land cries out against me, And together its furrows weep,
If my lond crieth ayens me, and hise forewis wepen with it;
39 If I consumed its strength without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out,
if Y eet fruytis therof with out money, and Y turmentide the soule of erthetileris of it;
40 Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed!” The words of Job are finished.
a brere growe to me for wheete, and a thorn for barli.
