Job 40

1 Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said,

And the Lord addide, and spak to Joob,

2 Shall he that cavilleth contend with the Almighty? he that argueth with God, let him answer it.

Whether he, that stryueth with God, schal haue rest so liytli? Sotheli he, that repreueth God, owith for to answere to hym.

3 Then Job answered the LORD, and said,

Forsothe Joob answeride to the Lord,

4 Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer thee? I lay mine hand upon my mouth.

and seide, What may Y answere, which haue spoke liytli? Y schal putte myn hond on my mouth.

5 Once have I spoken, and I will not answer; yea twice, but I will proceed no further.

Y spak o thing, which thing Y wold, that Y hadde not seid; and Y spak anothir thing, to which Y schal no more adde.

6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Forsothe the Lord answeride to Joob fro the whirlewynd,

7 Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

and seide, Girde thou as a man thi leendis, and Y schal axe thee, and schewe thou to me.

8 Wilt thou even disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be justified?

Whether thou schalt make voide my doom, and schalt condempne me, that thou be maad iust?

9 Or hast thou an arm like God? and canst thou thunder with a voice like him?

And if thou hast an arm, as God hath, and if thou thundrist with lijk vois, `take thou fairnesse aboute thee,

10 Deck thyself now with excellency and dignity; and array thyself with honour and majesty.

and be thou reisid an hiy, and be thou gloriouse, and be thou clothid `in faire clothis.

11 Pour forth the overflowings of thine anger: and look upon every one that is proud, and abase him.

Distrie thou proude men in thi woodnesse, and biholde thou, and make lowe ech bostere.

12 Look on every one that is proud, [and] bring him low; and tread down the wicked where they stand.

Biholde thou alle proude men, and schende thou hem; and al to-breke thou wickid men in her place.

13 Hide them in the dust together; bind their faces in the hidden [place].

Hide thou hem in dust togidere, and drenche doun her faces in to a diche.

14 Then wilt I also confess of thee that thine own right hand can save thee.

And Y schal knowleche, that thi riyt hond may saue thee.

15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as all ox.

Lo! behemot, whom Y made with thee, schal as an oxe ete hey.

16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the muscles of his belly.

His strengthe is in hise leendis, and his vertu is in the nawle of his wombe.

17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his thighs are knit together.

He streyneth his tail as a cedre; the senewis of his `stones of gendrure ben foldid togidere.

18 His bones are as tubes of brass; his limbs are like bars of iron.

Hise boonys ben as the pipis of bras; the gristil of hym is as platis of yrun.

19 He is the chief of the ways of God: he [only] that made him can make his sword to approach [unto him].

He is the bigynnyng of the weies of God; he, that made hym, schal sette his swerd to hym.

20 Surely the mountains bring him forth food; where all the beasts of the field do play.

Hillis beren eerbis to this behemot; alle the beestis of the feeld pleien there.

21 He lieth under the lotus trees, in the covert of the reed, and the fen.

He slepith vndur schadewe, in the pryuete of rehed, in moiste places.

22 The lotus trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.

Schadewis hilen his schadewe; the salewis of the ryuer cumpassen hym.

23 Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not: he is confident, though Jordan swell even to his mouth.

He schal soupe vp the flood, and he schal not wondre; he hath trist, that Jordan schal flowe in to his mouth.

24 Shall any take him when he is on the watch, or pierce through his nose with a snare?

He schal take hem bi `the iyen of hym, as bi an hook; and bi scharpe schaftis he schal perse hise nosethirlis.