1 Sotheli Baldath Suytes answeride, and seide,
2 Hou longe schalt thou speke siche thingis? The spirit of the word of thi mouth is manyfold.
3 Whether God supplauntith, `ethir disseyueth, doom, and whether Almyyti God distrieth that, that is iust?
4 Yhe, thouy thi sones synneden ayens hym, and he lefte hem in the hond of her wickidnesse;
5 netheles, if thou risist eerli to God, and bisechist `Almyyti God, if thou goist clene and riytful,
6 anoon he schal wake fulli to thee, and schal make pesible the dwellyng place of thi ryytfulnesse;
7 in so miche that thi formere thingis weren litil, and that thi laste thingis be multiplied greetli.
8 For whi, axe thou the formere generacioun, and seke thou diligentli the mynde of fadris. For we ben men of yistirdai, and `kunnen not; for oure daies ben as schadewe on the erthe.
10 And thei schulen teche thee, thei schulen speke to thee, and of her herte thei schulen bring forth spechis.
11 Whether a rusche may lyue with out moysture? ethir a spier `may wexe with out watir?
12 Whanne it is yit in the flour, nethir is takun with hond, it wexeth drie bifor alle erbis.
13 So the weies of alle men, that foryeten God; and the hope of an ypocrite schal perische.
14 His cowardise schal not plese hym, and his trist schal be as a web of yreyns.
15 He schal leene, `ether reste, on his hows, and it schal not stonde; he schal vndursette it, and it schal not rise togidere.
16 The rusche semeth moist, bifor that the sunne come; and in the risyng of the sunne the seed therof schal go out.
17 Rootis therof schulen be maad thicke on an heep of stoonys, and it schal dwelle among stoonys.
18 If a man drawith it out of `his place, his place schal denye it, and schal seie, Y knowe thee not.
19 For this is the gladnesse of his weie, that eft othere ruschis springe out of the erthe.
20 Forsothe God schal not caste a wei a symple man, nethir schal dresse hond to wickid men;
21 til thi mouth be fillid with leiytir, and thi lippis with hertli song.
22 Thei that haten thee schulen be clothid with schenschip; and the tabernacle of wickid men schal not stonde.