1 Therfor, Joob, here thou my spechis, and herkene alle my wordis.
2 Lo! Y haue openyd my mouth, my tunge schal speke in my chekis.
3 Of symple herte ben my wordis, and my lippis schulen speke clene sentence.
4 The spirit of God made me, and the brething of Almyyti God quykenyde me.
5 If thou maist, answere thou to me, and stoonde thou ayens my face.
6 Lo! God made me as and thee; and also Y am formyd of the same cley.
7 Netheles my myracle make thee not afeerd, and myn eloquence be not greuouse to thee.
8 Therfor thou seidist in myn eeris, and Y herde the vois of thi wordis;
9 Y am cleene, and with out gilt, and vnwemmed, and wickidnesse is not in me.
10 `For God foond querels in me, therfor he demyde me enemy to hym silf.
11 He hath set my feet in a stok; he kepte alle my pathis.
12 Therfor this thing it is, in which thou art not maad iust; Y schal answere to thee, that God is more than man.
13 Thou stryuest ayenus God, that not at alle wordis he answeride to thee.
14 God spekith onys, and the secounde tyme he rehersith not the same thing.
15 God spekith bi a dreem in the visioun of nyyt, whanne sleep fallith on men, and thei slepen in the bed.
16 Thanne he openith the eeris of men, and he techith hem, `and techith prudence;
17 that he turne awei a man fro these thingis whiche he made, and delyuere hym fro pride; delyuerynge his soule fro corrupcioun,
18 and his lijf, that it go not in to swerd.
19 Also God blameth a synnere bi sorewe in the bed, and makith alle the boonys of hym `to fade.
20 Breed is maad abhomynable to hym in his lijf, and mete desirable `bifor to his soule.
21 His fleisch schal faile for rot, and hise boonys, that weren hilid, schulen be maad nakid.
22 His soule schal neiye to corrupcioun, and his lijf to thingis `bryngynge deeth.
23 If an aungel, oon of a thousynde, is spekynge for hym, that he telle the equyte of man, God schal haue mercy on hym,
24 and schal seie, Delyuere thou hym, that he go not doun in to corrupcioun; Y haue founde in what thing Y schal do merci to hym.
25 His fleisch is wastid of turmentis; turne he ayen to the daies of his yonge wexynge age.
26 He schal biseche God, and he schal be quemeful to hym; and he schal se his face in hertly ioye, and he schal yelde to man his riytfulnesse.
27 He schal biholde men, and he schal seie, Y haue synned, and verili Y haue trespassid; and Y haue not resseyued, as Y was worthi.
28 For he delyueride his soule, that it schulde not go in to perischyng, but that he lyuynge schulde se liyt.
29 Lo! God worchith alle these thingis in thre tymes bi alle men;
30 that he ayen clepe her soulis fro corrupcioun, and liytne in the liyt of lyuynge men.
31 Thou, Joob, perseyue, and here me, and be thou stille, the while Y speke.
32 Sotheli if thou hast what thou schalt speke, answere thou to me, speke thou; for Y wole, that thou appere iust.
33 That if thou hast not, here thou me; be thou stille, and Y schal teche thee wisdom.