< Job 15 >

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
2 "Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?
Whether a wise man schal answere, as spekynge ayens the wynd, and schal fille his stomac with brennyng, `that is, ire?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches with which he can do no good?
For thou repreuest hym bi wordis, which is not lijk thee, and thou spekist that, that spedith not to thee.
4 Yes, you do away with fear, and hinder devotion before God.
As myche as is in thee, thou hast avoidid drede; and thou hast take awey preyeris bifor God.
5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty.
For wickidnesse hath tauyt thi mouth, and thou suest the tunge of blasfemeris.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I. Yes, your own lips testify against you.
Thi tunge, and not Y, schal condempne thee, and thi lippis schulen answere thee.
7 "Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought forth before the hills?
Whether thou art borun the firste man, and art formed bifor alle little hillis?
8 Have you heard the secret counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
Whether thou herdist the counsel of God, and his wisdom is lower than thou?
9 What do you know, that we do not know? What do you understand, which is not in us?
What thing knowist thou, whiche we knowen not? What thing vndurstondist thou, whiche we witen not?
10 With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, much elder than your father.
Bothe wise men and elde, myche eldre than thi fadris, ben among vs.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for you, even the word that is gentle toward you?
Whether it is greet, that God coumforte thee? But thi schrewid wordis forbeden this.
12 Why does your heart carry you away? Why do your eyes flash,
What reisith thin herte thee, and thou as thenkynge grete thingis hast iyen astonyed?
13 That you turn your spirit against God, and let such words go out of your mouth?
What bolneth thi spirit ayens God, that thou brynge forth of thi mouth siche wordis?
14 What is man, that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
What is a man, that he be with out wem, and that he borun of a womman appere iust?
15 Look, he puts no trust in his holy ones. Yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight;
Lo! noon among hise seyntis is vnchaungable, and heuenes ben not cleene in his siyt.
16 how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water.
How myche more a man abhomynable and vnprofitable, that drynkith wickidnesse as water?
17 "I will show you, listen to me; that which I have seen I will declare:
I schal schewe to thee, here thou me; Y schal telle to thee that, that Y siy.
18 (Which wise men have told by their fathers, and have not hidden it;
Wise men knoulechen, and hiden not her fadris.
19 to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them):
To whiche aloone the erthe is youun, and an alien schal not passe bi hem.
20 the wicked man writhes in pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
A wickid man is proud in alle hise daies; and the noumbre of hise yeeris and of his tirauntrie is vncerteyn.
21 A sound of terrors is in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer shall come on him.
The sown of drede is euere in hise eeris, and whanne pees is, he supposith euere tresouns.
22 He doesn't believe that he shall return out of darkness. He is waited for by the sword.
He bileueth not that he may turne ayen fro derknessis to liyt; and biholdith aboute on ech side a swerd.
23 He wanders abroad for bread, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
Whanne he stirith hym to seke breed, he woot, that the dai of derknessis is maad redi in his hond.
24 Distress and anguish make him afraid. They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
Tribulacioun schal make hym aferd, and angwisch schal cumpas hym, as a kyng which is maad redi to batel.
25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God, and behaves himself proudly against Shaddai;
For he helde forth his hond ayens God, and he was maad strong ayens Almyyti God.
26 he runs at him with a stiff neck, with the thick shields of his bucklers;
He ran with neck reisid ayens God, and he was armed with fat nol.
27 because he has covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat on his thighs.
Fatnesse, that is, pride `comyng forth of temporal aboundaunce, hilide his face, `that is, the knowyng of vndurstondyng, and outward fatnesse hangith doun of his sidis.
28 He has lived in desolate cities, in houses which no one inhabited, which were ready to become heaps.
He schal dwelle in desolat citees, and in deseert, `ethir forsakun, housis, that ben turned in to biriels.
29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.
He schal not be maad riche, nether his catel schal dwelle stidefastli; nether he schal sende his roote in the erthe,
30 He shall not depart out of darkness. The flame shall dry up his branches. By the breath of God's mouth shall he go away.
nether he schal go awei fro derknessis. Flawme schal make drie hise braunchis, and he schal be takun a wey bi the spirit of his mouth.
31 Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; for emptiness shall be his reward.
Bileue he not veynli disseyued bi errour, that he schal be ayenbouyt bi ony prijs.
32 It shall be accomplished before his time. His branch shall not be green.
Bifor that hise daies ben fillid, he schal perische, and hise hondis schulen wexe drye;
33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive tree.
he schal be hirt as a vyne in the firste flour of his grape, and as an olyue tre castinge awei his flour.
34 For the company of the godless shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
For the gaderyng togidere of an ipocrite is bareyn, and fier schal deuoure the tabernaclis of hem, that taken yiftis wilfuli.
35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. Their heart prepares deceit."
He conseyuede sorewe, and childide wickidnesse, and his wombe makith redi tretcheries.

< Job 15 >