Job 15
1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,
2 Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge, and fill his belly 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 wherewith 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 Yea, thou doest away with fear, and restrainest devotion before God.
As myche as is in thee, thou hast avoidid drede; and thou hast take awey preyeris bifor God.
5 For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
For wickidnesse hath tauyt thi mouth, and thou suest the tunge of blasfemeris.
6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; yea, thine own lips testify against thee.
Thi tunge, and not Y, schal condempne thee, and thi lippis schulen answere thee.
7 Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou brought forth before the hills?
Whether thou art borun the firste man, and art formed bifor alle little hillis?
8 Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?
Whether thou herdist the counsel of God, and his wisdom is lower than thou?
9 What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, 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 grayheaded and the very aged men, much elder than thy father.
Bothe wise men and elde, myche eldre than thi fadris, ben among vs.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for thee, and the word [that dealeth] gently with thee?
Whether it is greet, that God coumforte thee? But thi schrewid wordis forbeden this.
12 Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and why do thine eyes wink?
What reisith thin herte thee, and thou as thenkynge grete thingis hast iyen astonyed?
13 That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest [such] words go out of thy 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? and he which 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 Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones; yea, 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 that is abominable and corrupt, a man that drinketh iniquity like water!
How myche more a man abhomynable and vnprofitable, that drynkith wickidnesse as water?
17 I will shew thee, hear thou me; and 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 from their fathers, and have not hid it;
Wise men knoulechen, and hiden not her fadris.
19 Unto 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 travaileth with 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 spoiler shall come upon him:
The sown of drede is euere in hise eeris, and whanne pees is, he supposith euere tresouns.
22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword:
He bileueth not that he may turne ayen fro derknessis to liyt; and biholdith aboute on ech side a swerd.
23 He wandereth abroad for bread, [saying], Where is it? he knoweth 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 hath stretched out his hand against God, and behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;
For he helde forth his hond ayens God, and he was maad strong ayens Almyyti God.
26 He runneth upon him with a [stiff] neck, with the thick bosses of his bucklers:
He ran with neck reisid ayens God, and he was armed with fat nol.
27 Because he hath covered his face with his fatness, and made collops of fat on his flanks;
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 And he hath dwelt in desolate cities, in houses which no man 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 produce bend to 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, and by the breath of his 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 vanity, deceiving himself: for vanity shall be his recompence.
Bileue he not veynli disseyued bi errour, that he schal be ayenbouyt bi ony prijs.
32 It shall be accomplished before his time, and 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.
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, and their belly prepareth deceit.
He conseyuede sorewe, and childide wickidnesse, and his wombe makith redi tretcheries.
