Job 2
1 Forsothe it was doon, whanne in sum dai the sones of God `weren comun, and stoden bifor the Lord, and Sathan `was comun among hem, and stood in his siyt,
And it came to pass on a certain day, that the angels of God came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came among them to stand before the Lord.
2 that the Lord seide to Sathan, Fro whennus comest thou? Which answeride, and seide, Y haue cumpassid the erthe, `and Y haue go thury it.
And the Lord, said to the devil, Whence comest thou? Then the devil said before the Lord, I am come from going through the world, and walking about the whole earth.
3 And the Lord seide to Sathan, Whethir thou hast biholde my seruaunt Joob, that noon in erthe is lijk hym; he is a symple man, and riytful, and dredynge God, and goynge awei fro yuel, and yit holdynge innocence? `But thou hast moued me ayens him, that `Y schulde turmente hym in veyn.
And the Lord said to the devil, Hast thou then observed my servant Job, that there is none of [men] upon the earth like him, a harmless, true, blameless, godly man, abstaining from all evil? and he yet cleaves to innocence, whereas thou has told [me] to destroy his substance without cause?
4 To whom Sathan answeride, and seide, `A man schal yyue skyn for skyn, and alle thingis that he hath for his lijf;
And the devil answered and said to the Lord, Skin for skin, all that a man has will he give as a ransom for his life.
5 `ellis sende thin hond, and touche his boon and fleisch, and thanne thou schalt se, that he schal curse thee in the face.
Nay, but put forth thine hand, and touch his bones and his flesh: verily he will bless thee to [thy] face.
6 Therfor the Lord seide to Sathan, Lo! he is in `thin hond; netheles kepe thou his lijf.
And the Lord said to the devil, Behold, I deliver him up to thee; only save his life.
7 Therfor Sathan yede out fro the face of the Lord, and smoot Joob with `a ful wickid botche fro the sole of the foot `til to his top;
So the devil went out from the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from [his] feet to [his] head.
8 which Joob schauyde the quytere with a schelle, `and sat in the dunghil.
And he took a potsherd to scrape away the discharge, and sat upon a dung-heap outside the city.
9 Forsothe his wijf seide to hym, Dwellist thou yit in thi symplenesse? Curse thou God, and die.
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10 And Joob seide, Thou hast spoke as oon of the fonned wymmen; if we han take goodis of the hond of the Lord, whi forsothe suffren we not yuels? In alle these thingis Joob synnede not in hise lippis.
But he looked on her, and said to her, Thou hast spoken like one of the foolish women. If we have received good things of the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure evil things? In all these things that happened to him, Job sinned not at all with his lips before God.
11 Therfor thre frendis of Joob herden al the yuel, that hadde bifelde to hym, and camen ech man fro his place, Eliphath Temanytes, and Baldach Suythes, and Sophar Naamathites; for thei `hadden seide togidere to hem silf, that thei wolden come togidere, and visite hym, and coumforte.
Now his three friends having heard of all the evil that was come upon him, came to him each from his own country: Eliphaz the king of the Thaemans, Baldad sovereign of the Saucheans, Sophar king of he Minaeans: and they came to him with one accord, to comfort and to visit him.
12 And whanne thei hadden reisid afer `her iyen, thei knewen not hym; and thei crieden, and wepten, and to-renten her clothis, and spreynten dust on her heed `in to heuene.
And when they saw him from a distance they did not know him; and they cried with a loud voice, and wept, and rent every one his garment, and sprinkled dust upon [their heads],
13 And thei saten with hym in the erthe seuene daies and seuene nyytis, and no man spak a word to hym; for thei sien, that his sorewe was greet.
and they sat down beside him seven days and seven nights, and no one of them spoke; for they saw that his affliction was dreadful and very great.
