Job 15

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¹Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,

²Whether a wise man schal answere, as spekynge ayens the wynd, and schal fille his stomac with brennyng, `that is, ire?

³For thou repreuest hym bi wordis, which is not lijk thee, and thou spekist that, that spedith not to thee.

⁴As myche as is in thee, thou hast avoidid drede; and thou hast take awey preyeris bifor God.

⁵For wickidnesse hath tauyt thi mouth, and thou suest the tunge of blasfemeris.

⁶Thi tunge, and not Y, schal condempne thee, and thi lippis schulen answere thee.

⁷Whether thou art borun the firste man, and art formed bifor alle little hillis?

⁸Whether thou herdist the counsel of God, and his wisdom is lower than thou?

⁹What thing knowist thou, whiche we knowen not? What thing vndurstondist thou, whiche we witen not?

¹⁰Bothe wise men and elde, myche eldre than thi fadris, ben among vs.

¹¹Whether it is greet, that God coumforte thee? But thi schrewid wordis forbeden this.

¹²What reisith thin herte thee, and thou as thenkynge grete thingis hast iyen astonyed?

¹³What bolneth thi spirit ayens God, that thou brynge forth of thi mouth siche wordis?

¹⁴What is a man, that he be with out wem, and that he borun of a womman appere iust?

¹⁵Lo! noon among hise seyntis is vnchaungable, and heuenes ben not cleene in his siyt.

¹⁶How myche more a man abhomynable and vnprofitable, that drynkith wickidnesse as water?

¹⁷I schal schewe to thee, here thou me; Y schal telle to thee that, that Y siy.

¹⁸Wise men knoulechen, and hiden not her fadris.

¹⁹To whiche aloone the erthe is youun, and an alien schal not passe bi hem.

²⁰A wickid man is proud in alle hise daies; and the noumbre of hise yeeris and of his tirauntrie is vncerteyn.

²¹The sown of drede is euere in hise eeris, and whanne pees is, he supposith euere tresouns.

²²He bileueth not that he may turne ayen fro derknessis to liyt; and biholdith aboute on ech side a swerd.

²³Whanne he stirith hym to seke breed, he woot, that the dai of derknessis is maad redi in his hond.

²⁴Tribulacioun schal make hym aferd, and angwisch schal cumpas hym, as a kyng which is maad redi to batel.

²⁵For he helde forth his hond ayens God, and he was maad strong ayens Almyyti God.

²⁶He ran with neck reisid ayens God, and he was armed with fat nol.

²⁷Fatnesse, 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.

²⁸He schal dwelle in desolat citees, and in deseert, `ethir forsakun, housis, that ben turned in to biriels.

²⁹He schal not be maad riche, nether his catel schal dwelle stidefastli; nether he schal sende his roote in the erthe,

³⁰nether 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.

³¹Bileue he not veynli disseyued bi errour, that he schal be ayenbouyt bi ony prijs.

³²Bifor that hise daies ben fillid, he schal perische, and hise hondis schulen wexe drye;

³³he schal be hirt as a vyne in the firste flour of his grape, and as an olyue tre castinge awei his flour.

³⁴For the gaderyng togidere of an ipocrite is bareyn, and fier schal deuoure the tabernaclis of hem, that taken yiftis wilfuli.

³⁵He conseyuede sorewe, and childide wickidnesse, and his wombe makith redi tretcheries.

Job 15

¹Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

²Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?

³Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?

⁴Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.

⁵For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

⁶Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

⁷Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills?

⁸Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

⁹What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us?

¹⁰With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father.

¹¹Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee?

¹²Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at,

¹³That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth?

¹⁴What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

¹⁵Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

¹⁶How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?

¹⁷I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare;

¹⁸Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it:

¹⁹Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.

²⁰The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.

²¹A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

²²He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.

²³He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

²⁴Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

²⁵For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty.

²⁶He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:

²⁷Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks.

²⁸And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.

²⁹He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth.

³⁰He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.

³¹Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.

³²It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.

³³He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.

³⁴For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.

³⁵They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.