Job — The Coverdale Bible (1535)

Job is the poem of the righteous man stricken by calamity, his debate with his friends, and the voice of God from the whirlwind. In Coverdale’s Bible of 1535 it stands in the third part (Job to the Song of Solomon) under the heading “The boke of Iob”. Coverdale’s summary of the chapters stands before the text; the 1535 Bible has no verse numbers, so the text keeps its own paragraphs, in 42 chapters, with the marginal notes and references printed after each chapter. The copy transcribed lacks a leaf here (Job 31:3 - 34:9); that text is supplied from Bagster’s 1838 reprint of the edition and marked off in the text.

What this boke conteyneth.

• Chap. I.II. The prosperite of Iob, and how God geueth Satan power ouer his body ād goodes, which he is content withall
• Chap. III. The flesh can not suffre: and here is described the vnpacient man, that grudgeth agaynst the iudgment of God.
• Chap. IIII. Iobs frendes comforte him, and geue his synnes the blame of his punyshmēt.
• Chap. V. That no man is without synne. A prayse off the allmightynesse and louynge kyndnesse of God.
• Chap. VI. Iob excuseth his owne vnpacience, layeth ypocrysie to his frēdes charge, ād sayeth they are but dyssemblers.
• Chap. VII. A frendly contencion that Iob maketh with God, shewinge the myserable life and trauayle of man.
• Chap. VIII. Baldad reproueth Iob. The nature of ypocrytes.
• Chap. IX. All men are synners in the fight of God, and rightuousnesse commeth only of him. He punysheth also whom he will.
• Chap. X. No man is without synne, nether maye eny man escape the honde of God
• Chap. XI. Sophar reproueth Iob of synne: and for so moch as no man maye withstonde God, he byddeth him be paciēt.
• Chap. XII. All thinges come off the mightie ordinaunce of God. The wicked haue better dayes then the godly.
• Chap. XIII. Iob speaketh as he thinketh, reproueth the ypocrysy of his frendes, and cōmendeth the wisdome of God.
• Chap. XIIII. The miserable life off man.
• Chap. XV.XVI. No man is innocēt before God. The conuersacion of the vngodly.
• Chap. XVII. Iob declareth his mysery.
• Chap. XVIII. Baldad reproueth Iob as vngodly, and sheweth the punyshment off the wicked.
• Chap. XIX. Iob sheweth his miserable estate, and reproueth his frendes, in that they increace his payne.
• Chap. XX. Punysment off the proude, vngodly and ypocrytes.
• Chap. XXI. Wicked men haue prosperite in this worlde. God punysheth acordinge to his owne will.
• Chap. XXII. They tell Iob, that is punyshment commeth for his synnes.
• Chap. XXIII.XXIIII. Iob defendeth his innocēcy
• Chap. XXV. No mā is innocēt before God.
• Chap. XXVI. Iob mocketh his frēdes, because they go aboute to proue the thynge, that he denieth not. The power of God.
• Chap. XXVII. God punysheth vs not acordinge to oure merites, but is mercifull and spareth euen the vngodly Agayne, he chasteneth the most righteous (as Iob was) with aduersite.
• Chap. XXVIII. The wisdome ād foreknowlege of God.
• Chap. XXIX. The prosperite that Iob was in a fore. His innocency and good dedes.
• Chap. XXX. He complayneth of his mysery: how the ignoraunt and symple people laugh him to scorne.
• Chap. XXXI. He rehearseth his innocēt life.
• Chap. XXXII. Iobs frendes are angrie, and forsake him.
• Chap. XXXIII. God punysheth for synne, yet heareth he a meke prayer.
• Chap. XXXIIII. Iob withstōdeth the wordes of them, which saye, that the wicked only are punyshed.
• Chap. XXXV. Iob is reproued, for holdinge himself rightuous.
• Chap. XXXVI. An argument, that God punisheth no man, excepte he haue deserued it.
• Chap. XXXVII. The power of God is here descrybed. Iob is reproued.
• Chap. XXXVIII.XXXIX.XL.XLI. The foreknowlege and wisdome of God.
• Chap▪ XLII. Iobs frendes are reproued, and he himself is restored to his prosperite agayne.

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Chapter 1

IN the lōde of Hus there was a man called Iob: an innocent [A] and vertuous man,⁽¹⁾ soch one as feared God, and eschued euell. This man had vij. sonnes, and iij. doughters.⁽²⁾ His substaunce was vij.M. shepe, iij.M. camels, v.C. yock of oxen, v.C. she asses, and a very greate housholde: so yᵗ he was one of the most principall men amōge all them of the east countre. His sonnes now wente on euery man, and made banckettes: one daye in one house, another daye in another, and sent for their iij. sisters, to eate & drinke with them. So when they had passed ouer the tyme of their banckettinge rounde aboute, Iob sent: for them, and clensed them agayne, stode vp early, and offred for euery one a brēt offeringe. For Iob thought thus: peraduenture my sonnes haue done some offence, and haue bene vnthankfull to God in their hertes. And thus dyd Iob euery daye.

[B] Now vpon a tyme, when the seruauntes of God came and stode before the LORDE, ⁽³⁾ Sathan came also amonge them. And the LORDE sayde vnto Sathan: From whence commest thou? Sathan answered the LORDE, and sayde: I haue gone aboute the lōde, and walked thorow it.⁽⁴⁾

Then sayde the LORDE vnto Sathā: hast thou not considered my seruaunt Iob, how that he is an innocēt and vertuous mā: soch one as feareth God, and eschueth euell, and that there is none like him in the londe? Sathan answered, and sayde vnto the LORDE: Doth Iob feare God for naught? hast thou not preserued him, his house, and all his substaunce on euery syde? hast thou not blessed the workes of his hondes? Is not his possession encreaced in the londe? But laye thyne honde vpō him a litle, touch once all that he hath, and (I holde) he shall curse the to thy face. And the LORDE sayde vnto Sathan: lo all that he hath, be in thy power: only vpon him self se that thou laye not thine honde. Then wente Sathan forth from the LORDE.

[C] Now vpon a certayne daye when his sonnes and doughters were eatinge, and drynkinge wyne in their eldest brothers house, there came a messaunger vnto Iob, and sayde: Whyle the oxen were a plowinge, and the Asses goinge in the pasture besyde them: the Sabees came in violētly, and toke them all awaye: yee they haue slayne the seruauntes with the swearde, and I only ranne my waye, to tell the.

And whyle he was yet speakynge, there came another, and sayde: The fyre of God is fallen from heauen, it hath consumed & brēt vp all the shepe and seruauntes: and I only ranne my waye, to tell the. In the meane season whyle he was yet speakinge, there came another, and sayde: The Caldees made thre armies, and fell in vpon the camels, which they haue caried awaye, yee and slayne the seruauntes with the swearde: and I only am [D] gottē awaye, to tell the. Whyle he was speakinge, there came yet another, ād sayde: Thy sonnes and doughters were eatinge ād drynkinge wyne in their eldest brothers house, ād sodenly there came a mightie greate wynde out off the South, and smote the iiij. corners of the house: which fell vpon thy children, so that they are deed: and I am gotten awaye alone, to tell the.

Then Iob stode vp, and rente his clothes shaued his heade, fell downe vpon the groūde, worshipped, and sayde: Naked came I out of my mothers wombe,⁽⁵⁾ and naked shall I turne thither agayne. The LORDE gaue,⁽⁶⁾ and the LORDE hath taken awaye (the LORDE hath done his pleasure) now blessed be yᵉ name off the LORDE. ⁽⁷⁾ In all these thinges dyd Iob not offende, ner murmured foolishly agaynst God.

Notes to Chapter 1

⁽¹⁾ Gen. 22. d

⁽²⁾ Iob. 42. c

⁽³⁾ Iob. 2. a

⁽⁴⁾ 1. Pe. 5. b

⁽⁵⁾ ⟨illegible⟩cls. 5. c Tim. 6. b

⁽⁶⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁷⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 2

IT happened also apon a tyme, that [A] when the seruauntes of God came & stode before the LORDE, ⁽¹⁾ Sathan came also amonge them, and stode before him. And the LORDE sayde vnto Sathan: From whence commest thou? Sathan answered and sayde:⁽²⁾ I haue gone aboute the lōde, and walked thorow it.

Then sayde the LORDE vnto Sathan: Hast thou not considered my seruaunt Iob, how that he is an innocent & vertuous man soch one as feareth God, and eschueth euell, and that there is none like him in the londe? But thou mouedest me agaynst him, to punysh him: yet is it in vayne, for he contynueth still in his godlynesse.

Sathan answered the LORDE, and sayde: Skynne for skynne? yee a man will geue all yᵗ euer he hath, for his life. But laye thine honde vpon him, touch him once vpon the bone and flesh, and (I holde) he shall curse the to thy face. Then sayde the LORDE vnto Sathā: lo, there hast thou him in thy power, but spare his life.

So wente Sathan forth from the LORDE, [B] and smote Iob with maruelous sore byles, from the sole off the fote vnto his crowne: so that he sat vpon the grounde in the asshes, and scraped of the etter off his sores with a potsherde.

Then sayde his wife vnto him: Dost thou yet cōtynue in thy perfectnesse? curse God,⁽³⁾ & dye. But Iob sayde vnto her: Thou speakest like a foolish womā. Seinge we haue receaued prosperite at the honde of God, wherfore shulde we not be content with aduersite also? In all these thinges,⁽⁴⁾ dyd not Iob synne with his lippes.

Now when Iobs frendes herde of all yᵉ [C] trouble, that happened vnto him, there came thre off them, euery one from his owne place: namely, Eliphas the Themanite, Baldad the Suhite, and Sophar the Naamathite.

For they were agreed together to come, to shewe their compassion vpon him, and to comforte him. So when they lifte vp their eyes a farre off, they knewe him not.

Then they cried, and wepte: then euery one off them rente his clothes, and sprynckled dust vpon their heades in the ayre. They sat them downe by him also vpon the grounde, vij. dayes and vij. nightes. Nether was there eny of them that spake one worde vnto him, for they sawe that his payne was very greate.

Notes to Chapter 2

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽³⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁴⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 3

[A] AFter this opened Iob his mouth, and cursed his daye,⁽¹⁾ and sayde: lost be that daye, wherin I was borne: and the night, in the which it was sayde: there is a manchilde conceaued. The same daye be turned to darcknesse, and not regarded of God from aboue, nether be shyned vpō wᵗ light: but be couered with darcknesse, and the shadowe of death. Let the dymme cloude fall vpon it, and let it be lapped in with sorowe. Let the darckstorme ouercome yᵉ night, let it not be reckened amonge the dayes off the yeare, ner counted in the monethes. Despysed be that night, and discommended: let them that curse the daye, geue it their curse also, euen those that be ready to rayse vp Leuiathan. Let the starres be dymme thorow darcknesse of it. Let it loke for light, but let it se none, nether the rysynge vp of the fayre mornynge: because it shut not vp the wombe that bare me, ner hyd these sorowes fro myne eyes.

[B] Alas, why dyed I not in yᵉ byrth? Why dyd not I perysh,⁽²⁾ as soone as I came out of my mothers wōbe? Why set they me vpō yᵉ irknees? Why gaue they me suck with their brestes? Then shulde I now haue lyen still, I shulde haue slepte, and bene at rest: like as the kynges ād lordes of yᵉ earth, which buylde them selues speciall places: As the prynces that haue greate substaunce of golde, & their houses full of syluer. O that I vtterly had no beynge, or were as a thīge borne out of tyme (that is put asyde) ether as yonge children, which neuer sawe the light. There must the wicked ceasse from their tyranny, [C] there soch as are ouerlaboured, be at rest: there are those letten out fre, which haue bene in preson, so that they heare nomore the voyce of the oppressoure: There are small and greate: the bonde man, and he that is fre frō his master.

Wherfore is the light geuen, to him that is in mysery? and life vnto them, that haue heuy hertes? (Which longe for death, and it commeth not: for yf they might fynde the ⟨illegible⟩ graue, they wolde be maruelous glad, as those that dygge vp treasure) To the man whose waye is hyd, which God kepeth backe from him.

This is the cause, that I syghe before I eate, and my roaringes fall out like a water floude. For the thynge that I feared, is come vpon me: and the thynge that I was afrayed of, is happened vnto me. Was I not happy? Had I not quyetnesse? Was I not in rest? And now commeth soch mysery vpon me.

Notes to Chapter 3

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 4

THen answered Eliphas of Theman [A] and sayde vnto him: Yf we begynne to comon with the, peraduēture thou wilt be myscontent, but who can witholde himself from speakynge? Beholde, thou hast bene a teacher of many, and hast comforted the weery hondes.

Thy wordes haue set vp those that were fallen, thou hast refresshed the weake knees. But now that the plage is come vpon the, thou shrēckest awaye: now that it hath touched thyself, thou art faint harted.⁽¹⁾ Where is now thy feare of God, thy stedfastnesse, thy pacience, and the perfectnesse of thy life? Considre (I praye the) who euer peryshed, beynge an innocent? Or, when were the godly destroyed? As for those that plowe wickednesse (as I haue sene myself) and sowe myschefe, they reape yᵉ same.⁽²⁾ For whē God bloweth vpon them, they perysh, and are destroyed thorow the blast of his wrath. The roaringe of the lyon, the cryenge off the lyonesse, & yᵉ teth off yᵉ lyōs whelpes are brokē. The greate lyon perysheth, because he cā get no pray and the lyons whelpes are scatred abrode.

There is spoken vnto me a thynge in councell,[B] which hath geuen a terrible sounde in myne eare, with a vision in the night,⁽³⁾ when men are fallen a slepe. Soch feare and drede came vpō me, that all my bones shoke. And when the wynde passed ouer by me, the hayres of my flesh stode vp.

Then stode there one before me, whose face I knewe not: an ymage there was, and the wether was still, so that I herde this voyce⟨illegible⟩ Maye a man be iustified before God? Maye there eny man be iudged to be clene,⁽⁴⁾ by reason of his owne workes? Beholde, he hath founde vnfaythfulnesse amonge his owne seruauntes, and proude disobedience amonge his angels.

How moch more thē shal they (that dwell in houses of claye, whose foundacion is but earth) be moth eaten? They shalbe destroyed from the mornynge vnto the euenynge: yee they shall perish, or euer they be awarre: and be taken awaye so clene, that none of thē shall remayne, but be deed, or euer they be awarre off it.

Notes to Chapter 4

⁽¹⁾ Tob. 2. d

⁽²⁾ Gala. ⟨illegible⟩

⁽³⁾ Dan. 10. ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁴⁾ Iob. ⟨illegible⟩5. ⟨illegible⟩ Psal. 1. ⟨illegible⟩. Rom. 3. ⟨illegible⟩ Iob. 15. b 2. Pe. ⟨illegible⟩. d

Chapter 5

[A] NAme me one els, yf thou canst fynde eny: yee loke aboute the, vpon eny of the holy men. As for the foolish man displeasure kylleth him, and anger slayeth yᵉ ignoraunt. I haue sene my self, when the foolish was deperoted,⁽¹⁾ that his bewty was sodēly destroyed: that his children were without prosperite or health: that they were slayne in the dore, and no mā to delyuer them: that his haruest was eaten vp off the hungrie:⁽²⁾ that the weapened man had spoyled it, and that the thurstie had droncke vp his riches. It is not the earth that bryngeth forth trauayle, nether commeth sorow out of yᵉ groūde: but it is man, that is borne vnto mysery, like as the byrde for to fle.

[B] But now will I speake off the LORDE, and talke of God: which doth thinges, that are vnsearcheable, and marueles without nōbre:⁽³⁾ Which geueth rayne vpō the earth, and poureth water vpon all thinges: which setteth vp them of lowe degre, and sendeth prosperite, to those that are in heuynesse: Which destroyeth the deuyces of the sotyll, so that they are not able to perfourme the thynges that they take in hōde:⁽⁴⁾ which compaseth yᵉ wyse in their owne craftynesse, and ouertroweth the councell of the wicked: In so moch that they runne in to darcknesse by fayre daye,⁽⁵⁾ and grope aboute them at the noone daye, like as in the night.

And so he delyuereth the poore from the swearde,⁽⁶⁾ from their mouth, and from the hōde of the cruell: that the poore maye haue hope, & that the mouth of the oppressoure maye be stopped.

[C] Beholde, happie is the man, whom God punysheth:⁽⁷⁾ therfore, despyse not thou yᵉ chastenynge of the Allmighty. For though he make a wounde, he geueth a medicyne agayne: though he smyte, his honde maketh whole agayne.

He delyuereth the out of sixe troubles, so that in the seuenth there can no harme touch the. In the myddest of honger he saueth yᵉ from death: and when it is warre, from the power of the swearde.

He shall kepe the from the persons tonge so that when trouble commeth, thou shalt not nede to feare. In destruccion and derth thou shalt be mery,⁽⁸⁾ and shalt not be afrayed for the beastes of the earth: But the castels in the londe shal be confederate with the, & the beastes of the felde shall geue the peace:

Yee thou shalt se, that thy dwellynge place shalbe in rest: thou shalt beholde thy substaunce, and be nomore punyshed for synne. Thou shalt se also, that thy sede shall encreace, and that thy posterite shalbe as the grasse vpon the earth. Thou shalt come to thy graue in a fayre age, like as yᵉ corne sheeues are brought in to the barne in due season. Lo, this is the matter, as we oure selues haue proued by experience. Therfore now that thou hearest it, take better hede to thy selff.

Notes to Chapter 5

⁽¹⁾ Psal. 36. d

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩eu. 2⟨illegible⟩. d

⁽³⁾ ⟨illegible⟩eu. 28. b ⟨illegible⟩ccli. 10. c ⟨illegible⟩uc. 1. d ⟨illegible⟩. 144. b ⟨illegible⟩6. a Re. 2. b

⁽⁴⁾ ⟨illegible⟩a 8. c Cor 3. c ⟨illegible⟩al. 32. b

⁽⁵⁾ ⟨illegible⟩eu. 28. c

⁽⁶⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁷⁾ ⟨illegible⟩. 3. b ⟨illegible⟩et. 4. c ⟨illegible⟩b. ⟨illegible⟩2. a ⟨illegible⟩ec. ⟨illegible⟩. a

⁽⁸⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 6

IOb answered, and sayde: O that my misery weere weyed, and my punyshment [A] layed in the balaunces: for then shulde it be heuyer, then the sonde of the see. This is the cause, that my wordes are so soroufull.

For the allmighty hath shott at me with his arowes, whose indignacion hath droncke vp my sprete, and yᵉ terrible feares of God fight agaynst me. Doth the wilde asse roare when he hath grasse? Or crieth the oxe,⁽¹⁾ whē he hath fodder ynough? Maye a thynge be eaten vnseasoned, or without salt? What taist hath yᵉ whyte within the yoke an egg? The thinges that sometyme I might not a waye withall, are now my meate for very sorow. O that I might haue my desyre: O yᵉ God wolde graunte me the thynge, that I longe for: That he wolde begynne and smyte me: that he wolde let his honde go, & hew me downe. Thē shulde I haue some cōforte: yee I wolde desyre him in my payne, that he shulde not spare, for I will not be agaynst yᵉ wordes of the holy one.

What power haue I to endure? Or▪ what [B] is myne ende, that my soule might be paciēt? Is my strength the strength of stones? Or, is my flesh made of brasse? Am I able to helpe my self▪ Is not my strength gone fro me, like as yf one withdrewe a good dede from his frende, and forsoke the feare of God: Myne owne brethren passe ouer by me as the waterbroke, that hastely runneth thorow yᵉ valleys. But they that feare the horefrost,⁽²⁾ the snowe shal fall vpon them.

When their tyme cōmeth, they shalbe destroyed and perishe: and when they be set on fyre, they shalbe remoued out of their place. for the pathes yᵗ they go in, are croked: they haist after vayne thinges, and shal perish. Considre the pathes off Theman, & the wayes off Saba, wherin they haue put their trust. Confounded are they, that put eny cōfidence in them: For whē they came to opteyne the thynges that they loked for, they were brought to confucion.

[C] Euē so are ye also come vnto me: but now that ye se my mysery, ye are afrayed. Dyd I desyre you, to come hyther? Or, to geue me eny off youre substaunce? To delyuer me me from the enemies honde, or to saue me from the power off the mightie? Teach me and I will holde my tonge: and yf I do erre, shewe me wherin.

Wherfore blame ye then the wordes, that are well and truly spoken? which of you can reproue them? Sauynge only that ye are sotyll to check mens sayenges, and can speake many wordes in the wynde. Ye fall vpon the fatherlesse, ād go aboute to ouerthrowe youre owne frende. Wherfore loke not only vpon me, but vpon youre selues: whether I lye, or no. Turne in to youre owne selues (I praye you) be indifferent iudges, and considre myne vngyltinesse: whether there be eny vnrightuousnesse in my tonge, or vayne wordes in my mouth.

Notes to Chapter 6

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 7

[A] IS not the life off mā vpon earth a very batayll? Are not his dayes, like the dayes of an hyred seruaunte? For like as a bonde seruaunt desyreth the shadowe, and as an hyrelinge wolde fayne haue an ende of his worke: Euen so haue I laboured whole monethes longe (but in vayne) and many a carefull night haue I tolde. When I layed me downe to slepe,⁽¹⁾ I sayde: O when shal I ryse? Agayne, I longed sore for the night. Thus am I full off sorowe, till it be darcke. My flesh is clothed with wormes, fylthinesse and dust: my skynne is wythered, and crompled together:⁽²⁾ my dayes passe ouer more spedely, thē a weeuer can weeue out his webbe, and are gone, or I am awarre. O remembre, that my life is but a wynde, ād that myne eye shal nomore se the pleasures therof yee and that none other mans eye shall se me eny more. For yf thou fasten thine eyes vpon me, I come to naught▪ like as a cloude is cōsumed and vanyshed awaye, euen so he that goeth downe to hell, commeth nomore vp, ner turneth agayne in to his house, nether shall his place knowe him eny more.

Therfore I will not spare my mouth, but [B] will speake in the trouble of my sprete, in yᵉ bytternesse of my mynde will I talke. Am I a see or a whalfysh, that thou kepest me so in preson? When I thynke: my bedd shall comforte me, I shall haue some refresshinge by talkynge with myself vpon my couche: Thē troublest thou me with dreames,⁽³⁾ ād makest me so afrayed thorow visions, that my soule wyssheth rather to be hanged, and my bones to be deed.

I can se no remedy, I shall lyue nomore: O spare me then, for my dayes are but vayne What is man,⁽⁴⁾ that thou hast him in soch reputacion, and settest so moch by him? Thou takest diligent care for him, and sodēly doest thou trye him.

Why goest thou not fro me, ner lettest me alone, so longe till I swalow downe my spetle? I haue offended, what shal I do vnto yᵉ, O thou preseruer off men? Why hast thou made me to stonde in thy waye, and am so heuy a burden vnto myself? Why doest thou not forgeue me my synne? Wherfore takest thou not awaye my wickednesse? Beholde, now must I slepe in the dust: and yff thou sekest me tomorow in the mornynge, I shalbe gone.

Notes to Chapter 7

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽²⁾ Iob. 9. c 14. a

⁽³⁾ Dan. ⟨illegible⟩. a

⁽⁴⁾ Matt. ⟨illegible⟩ c Deu. 8. a Gen. 22 a

Chapter 8

THen answered Baldad the Suhite and sayde: How longe wilt thou talke [A] of soch thinges? how longe shal yᵉ mouth speake so proude wordes? Doth God peruerte the thinge that is laufull? Or, doth the Allmightie destroye the thynge that is right? Whē thy sonnes synned agaynst him,⁽¹⁾ dyd not he punysh thē for their wickednesse? Yff thou woldest now resorte vnto God by tymes,⁽²⁾ and make thine humble prayer to yᵉ Allmightie: yf thou woldest lyue a pure and a godly life: shulde he not wake vp vnto the immediatly, & geue the the bewtie of rightuousnesse agayne? In so moch, that where ī so euer thou haddest litle afore, thou shuldest now haue greate abundaunce. Enquere of them that haue bene before the, search diligently amonge thy forefathers: Namely, yᵗ we are but of yesterdaye, and considre not, that oure dayes vpon earth are buth a very shadow. They shall shewe the,⁽³⁾ they shall tell the, yee they will gladly confesse the same.

[B] Maye a resshe be grene without moystnesse? maye the grasse growe without water? No: but (or euer it be shot forth, and or euer it be gathered) it wythereth, before eny other herbe. Euen so goeth it with all them, that forget God: and euen thus also shal the ypocrytes hope come to naught. His confidence shalbe destroyed, for he trusteth in a spyders webbe.

He leeneth him vpō his house, but he shal not stonde: he holdeth him fast by it, yet shal he not endure. Oft tymes a thinge doth florish, and men thynke that it maye abyde the Sonneshyne: it shuteth forth the braunches in his garden, it taketh many rotes, in so moch that it is like an house off stones. But yf it be taken out off his place, euery man denyeth it, sayenge: I knowe the not. Lo, thus is it wᵗ him, that reioyseth in his owne doinges: and as for other, they growe out of the earth.

Beholde, God will not cast awaye a vertuous man, nether wil he helpe the vngodly. Thy mouth shall he fyll with laughynge, ād thy lyppes with gladnesse. They that hate the, shalbe confounded, & yᵉ dwellinges of yᵉ vngodly shal come to naught.

Notes to Chapter 8

⁽¹⁾ Iob. 1. c

⁽²⁾ Deu. 30.

⁽³⁾ Psal. 14⟨illegible⟩ ▪

Chapter 9

[A] IOb answered, and sayde: As for yᵗ I knowe it is so of a treuth,⁽¹⁾ yᵗ a man compared vnto God, can not be iustified. Yf he wil argue with him, he shall not be able to answere him vnto one amonge a thousande. He is wyse of hert, and mightie in strength. Who euer prospered, that toke parte agaynst him? He translateth the moūtaynes, or euer they be awarre, & ouerthroweth them in his wrath. He remoueth the earth out of hir place, that hir pilers shake withall. He commaundeth the Sōne, & it ryseth not: he closeth vp the starres, as it were vnder a signet. He himself alone spredeth out yᵉ heauens, and goeth vpon the wawes of the see. He maketh the waynes of heauen, the Orions,⁽²⁾ the ⁽³⁾ vij. starres and the secrete places of the south. He doth greate thinges, soch as are vnsearcheable, yee and wonders without nombre.

Yf he came by me, I might not loke vpō him: yf he wente his waye, I shulde not perceaue it. Yf he be haisty to take eny thinge [B] awaye, who wil make him restore it agayne? Who wil saye vnto him: what doest thou? He is God,⁽⁴⁾ whose wrath no man maye with stōde: but the proudest of all must stoupe vnder him. How shulde I then answere him? or, what wordes shulde I fynde out agaynst him? Yee though I be rightuous, yet will I not geue him one worde agayne, but mekely submytte my self to my iudge. All be it that I call vpon him, and he heare me, yet am I not sure, yᵗ he hath herde my voyce: he troubleth me so with the tempest, and woundeth me out of measure without a cause. He will not let my sprete be in rest, but fylleth me wᵗ bytternesse.

Yf men will speake of strength, he is the [C] stōgest of all: yf mē will speake of rightousnes, who darre be my recorde? yf I will iustifie my self, myne owne mouth shall cōdemne me: yf I will put forth my self for a perfecte man, he shal proue me a wicked doer: For that I shulde be an innocent, my cōscience knoweth it not, yee I my self am weery off my life.

This one thīge wil I saye:⁽⁵⁾ He destroyeth both the rightuous & vngodly. And though he slaye sodenly wᵗ the scourge, yet laugheth he at the punyshment of the innocent. As for the worlde, he geueth it ouer in to the power of the wicked, soch as the rulers be, wherof all londes are full. Is it not so? where is there eny, but he is soch one?

My dayes haue bene more swifte,⁽⁶⁾ then a [D] runner: they are gone sodenly, and haue sene no good thinge. They are passed awaye, as the shippes that be good vnder sale, and as the Aegle that haisteth to the pray. When I am purposed to forget my complayninges to chaunge my countenaunce, and to cōforte my self: then am I afrayed of all my workes, for I knowe, thou fauourest not an euell doer. Yf I be then a wicked one, why haue I laboured in vayne? Though I wasshed my self with snowe water, and made myne hondes neuer so clene, yet shuldest thou dyppe me in yᵉ myre, & myne owne clothes shulde defyle me. For he yᵗ I must geue answere vnto, and with whom I go to lawe, is not a man as I am Nether is there eny dayes man to reproue both the partes, or to laye his hōde betwixte vs. Let him take his rod awaye fro me, yee let him make me nomore afrayed of him, and then shal I answere him without eny feare. For as longe as I am in soch fearfulnesse, I can make no answere: And why? it greueth my soule to lyue.

Notes to Chapter 9

⁽¹⁾ Psal. 142. a ⟨illegible⟩ Ro. 3. b ⟨illegible⟩ Iob. 4. b ⟨illegible⟩. b. 25. a

⁽²⁾ Amos. 5 a

⁽³⁾ Some ⟨illegible⟩all the⟨illegible⟩e seuen ⟨illegible⟩tarres, ⟨illegible⟩he clock soenne ⟨illegible⟩ith hir ⟨illegible⟩hekens.

⁽⁴⁾ Eccls. 8. g Iere. 10. a

⁽⁵⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁶⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 10

NEuerthelesse, now will I put forth [A] my wordes: I wil speake out of the very heuynesse off my soule, and will saye vnto God: O do not condemne me, but shewe me the cause, wherfore thou iudgest me on this maner. Thinkest thou it well done, to oppresse me, to cast me of (beinge a worke of thy hondes) and to manteyne the councell of the vngodly? Hast thou fleszshy eyes then, or doest thou loke as man loketh? Are thy dayes as the dayes of man, and thy yeares as mans yeares? that thou makest soch inquisicion for my wickednesse, and searchest out my synne? where as (notwithstondinge) thou knowest that I am no wicked person, & that there is no man able to delyuer me out of thine honde.⁽¹⁾ Thy hondes haue made me, & fashioned me alltogether rounde aboute, wilt thou then destroye me sodēly? O remembre (I beseke the) how that thou madest me of the moulde of the earth, and shalt brynge me to earth agayne.

[B] Hast thou not milked me as it were mylck: and turned me to cruddes like chese? Thou hast couered me with skynne and flesh, and ioyned me together with bones & synowes. Thou hast graunted me life, and done me good: and the diligent hede that thou tokest vpon me, hath preserued my sprete.

Though thou hydest these thinges in thine hert, yet am I sure, that thou remembrest thē all. Wherfore didest thou kepe me, when I synned, and hast not clensed me fro myne offence? Yf I do wickedly, wo is me therfore: Yf I be rightuous, yet darre I not lift vp my heade: so full am I of confucion, and se myne owne misery.

[C] Thou huntest me out (beynge in heuynesse) as it were a Lyon, and troublest me out of measure. Thou bringest fresh witnesses agaynst me, thy wrath increasest thou vpon me, very many are the plages that I am in. Wherfore hast thou brought me out of my mothers wombe?⁽²⁾ O that I had perished, & that no eye had sene me. Yf they had caried me to my graue, as soone as I was borne, then shulde I be now, as though I had neuer bene.

Shall not my short life come soone to an ende? O holde the fro me, let me alone, that I maye ease my self a litle: afore I go thyther, from whence I shal not turne agayne: Namely, to that londe of darcknesse & shadowe of death: yee in to that darck clowdy londe & deadly shadowe, where as is no ordre, but terrible feare as in the darcknesse.

Notes to Chapter 10

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 11

[A] THen answered Sophar the Naamathite, and sayde: Shulde not he that maketh many wordes, be answered? Shulde he that bableth moch, be commended therin? Shulde men geue eare vnto the only? Thou wilt laugh other men to scorne, & shal no body mocke the agayne? Wilt thou saye vnto God: The thinge that I take in honde, is perfecte, & I am clene in thy sight? O that God wolde speake, and open his lippes agaynst the, that he might shewe the (out of his secrete wyszdome) how many folde his lawe is: then shuldest thou knowe, that God had forgotten the, because of thy synnes.

Wilt thou fynde out God with thy sekynge? wilt thou attayne to the perfectnesse of the Allmightie? He is hyer thē heauē, what wilt thou do? Deper thē hell, how wilt thou then knowe him? His length exceadeth the length of the earth, and his bredth yᵉ bredth of the see. Though he turne all thinges vp syde downe, close them in, or thrust thē together, who darre check him therfore?

For it is he, that knoweth the vanite of [B] men: he seyth their wickednesse also,⁽¹⁾ shulde he not then considre it? A vayne body exalteth him self, and the sonne of man is like a wylde asses foale. Yf thou haddest now a right herte, & liftest vp thine hondes towarde him: yf thou woldest put awaye the wickednesse, which thou hast in honde, so that no vngodlynesse dwelt in thy house: Then mightest thou lift vp thy face without shame, thē shuldest thou be sure, and haue no nede to feare.

Then shuldest thou forget thy misery, and thynke nomore vpon it, then vpon the waters that runne by. Then shulde thy life be as cleare as the noone daye, and sprynge forth as the mornynge. Then mightest thou haue comforth, in the hope that thou hast: & slepe quyetly, when thou art buried. Then shuldest thou take thy rest, and no mā to make the afrayed, yee many one shulde set moch by the. As for the eyes of the vngodly, they shal be consumed, and not escape: their hope shalbe misery and sorow of mynde.

Notes to Chapter 11

⁽¹⁾ 1. Re. 16 Iere. 17. d

Chapter 12

SO Iob answered, and sayde: Then [A] (no doute) ye are the men alone, and wyszdome shal perish with you. But I haue vnderstōdinge as well as ye, and am no lesse then ye. Yee who knoweth not these thinges? Thus he that calleth vpō God, and whom God heareth, is mocked of his neghboure: the godly & innocent man is laughed to scorne. Godlynesse is a light despysed in yᵉ hertes of the rich, & is set for them to stomble vpon.

The houses of robbers are in wealth and prosperite, & they that maliciously medle agaynst God, dwel without care: yee God geueth all thinges richely with his honde.

[B] Axe the catell, & they shal enfourme the: the foules of the ayre, and they shall tell yᵉ: Speake to the earth, and it shall shewethe: Or to the fyshes of the see, and they shal certifie the. What is he, but he knoweth, that yᵉ hōde of the LORDE made all these? In whose honde is the soule of euery lyuynge thinge,⁽¹⁾ and the breth of all men. Haue not the eares pleasure in hearinge, and the mouth in tastinge the thinge that it eateth?⁽²⁾ Amonge olde personnes there is wyszdome, and amonge the aged is vnderstōdinge. Yee with God is wyszdome and strength, it is he that hath councell & foreknowlege. Yf he breake downe a thinge, who can set it vp agayne? Yf he shutt a thinge,⁽³⁾ who wil open it? Beholde, yf he witholde the waters, they drye vp: Yf he let thē go, they destroye the earth. With him is strength and wyszdome: he knoweth both the disceauer, and him that is disceaued.

[C] He carieth awaye the wyse men, as it were a spoyle, and bryngeth the iudges out of their wyttes. He lowseth the gyrdle of kynges, and gyrdeth their loynes with a bonde. he ledeth awaye the prestes in to captiuyte, and turneth the mightie vp syde downe. He taketh the verite from out of the mouth,⁽⁴⁾ & disapoynteth yᵉ aged of their wyszdome. He poureth out confucion vpon prynces, and cōforteth them that haue bene oppressed.⁽⁵⁾ Loke what lyeth hyd in darcknesse, he declareth it opēly: and the very shadowe of death bringeth he to light. He both increaseth the people, and destroyeth them: He maketh them to multiplie, and dryueth them awaye. He chaungeth the herte of the prynces and kynges of the earth, and disapoynteth them: so that they go wādringe out of the waye, and grope in the darcke without light, stackeringe to and fro like droncken men.

Notes to Chapter 12

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩ap 3. a ⟨illegible⟩ob 34. a

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩. 32. d

⁽³⁾ ⟨illegible⟩sa 22. d ⟨illegible⟩po. 3. b ⟨illegible⟩sa. 50. a

⁽⁴⁾ ⟨illegible⟩. Par. 18. c Eze. 14. b

⁽⁵⁾ Luc. 12. a

Chapter 13

[A] LO, all this haue I sene with myne eye, herde with myne eare, & vnderstonde it. Loke what ye knowe, that same do I knowe also, nether am I inferior vnto you. Neuerthelesse I am purposed to talke with the Allmightie, and my desyre is to comon with God. As for you, ye are work masters of lyes: and vnprofitable Phisicians alltogether. Wolde God ye kepte youre tonge, that ye might be taken for wyse men. Therfore heare my wordes,⁽¹⁾ and pondre the sentence of my lippes. Will ye make answere for God with lyes, and māteyne him with disceate? Wil ye accepte yᵉ personne of God, and intreate for him? Shal that helpe you, when he calleth you to rekenynge? Thynke ye to begyle him, as a man is begyled? Punysh you shall he and reproue you, yf ye do secretly accepte eny personne. Shall he not make you afrayed, when he sheweth himself? Shal not his terrible feare fall vpō you? youre remembraunce shalbe like the dust, & youre pryde shalbe turned to claye.

Holde youre tonges now, and let me speake,[B] for there is some thinge come in to my mynde. Wherfore do I beare my flesh in myteth, and my soule in myne hondes? Lo, there is nether cōforte ner hope for me, yf he wil slaye me.⁽²⁾ But yf I shewe and reproue myne owne wayes in his sight, he is euen the same, that maketh me whole: and why? there maye no Ypocrite come before him, Heare my wordes, and pondre my sayenges with youre eares. Beholde, though sentence were geuen vpon me, I am sure to be knowne for vngilty. What is he, that will go to lawe with me? For yf I holde my tonge, I shal dye. Neuerthelesse graunte me ij. thinges, and then will I not hyde my self from the.

Withdrawe thine honde fro me, & let not [C] the fearfull drede of the make me afrayed. And then sende for me to the lawe, yᵗ I maye answere for my self: or els, let me speake, and geue thou the answere. How greate are my myszdedes & synnes? Let me knowe my trāsgressions & offences. Wherfore hydest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemye? Wilt thou be so cruell & extreme vnto a flyenge leaf, and folowe vpon drye stubble? that thou layest so sharply to my charge, and wilt vtterly vndoo me, for yᵉ synnes of my yougth? Thou hast put my fote in the stockes:⁽³⁾ thou lokest narowly vnto all my pathes, & marckest the steppes of my fete: where as I (notwithstondinge) must consume like as a foule carion, and as a cloth that is moth eaten.

Notes to Chapter 13

⁽¹⁾ Pro. 17. d

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽³⁾ ⟨illegible⟩para

Chapter 14

MAn that is borne of a woman, hath [A] but a shorte tyme to lyue, and is full of dyuerse miseries. He cōmeth vp, and falleth awaye like a floure. He flyeth as it were a shadowe, and neuer continueth in one state. Thinkest thou it now well done, to open thine eyes vpon soch one, and to brynge me before the in iudgment? Who can make it cleane, that commeth of an vncleane thinge? No body. The dayes of man are shorte, yᵉ nombre of his monethes are knowne only vnto the. Thou hast apoynted him his boundes, he can not go beyonde them. Go from him, that he maye rest a litle: vntill his daye come, which he loketh for, like as an hyrelinge doth.

[B] Yf a tre be cutt downe, there is some hope yet, that it will sproute and shute forth the braunches againe: For though a rote be waxen olde and deed in the grounde, yet whē the stocke getteth the sent of water, it will budde, and brynge forth bowes, like as when it was first planted. But as for man, when he is deed, perished and consumed awaye, what becommeth of him?⁽¹⁾ The floudes when they be dryed vp, & the ryuers when they be emptie, are fylled agayne thorow the flowinge waters of the see:⁽²⁾ but when man slepeth, he ryseth not agayne, vntill the heauen perish: he shal not wake vp ner ryse out of his slepe. O that thou woldest kepe me, and hyde me in the hell, vntill thy wrath were stilled: & to appoynte me a tyme, wherin thou mightest remembre me. Maye a deed man lyue agayne? All the dayes of this my pilgremage am I lokynge,⁽³⁾ when my chaunginge shal come. Yf thou woldest but call me, I shulde obeie the: only despyse not the worke of thine owne hondes.⁽⁴⁾

[C] For thou hast nombred all my goynges, yet be not thou to extreme vpon my synnes. Thou hast sealed vp myne offences, as it were in a bagg: but be mercifull vnto my wickednesse. The mountaynes fall awaye at the last, the rockes are remoued out of their place, the waters pearse thorow the very stones by litle and litle, the floudes waszshe awaye the grauell & earth: Euen so destroyest thou the hope of man in like maner. Thou preuaylest agaynst him, so that he passeth awaye: thou chaungest his estate, and puttest him from the. Whether his children come to worshipe or no, he can not tell: And yf they be men of lowe degre, he knoweth not. Whyle he lyueth, his flesh must haue trauayle: and whyle the soule is in him, he must be in sorowe.

Notes to Chapter 14

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽³⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁴⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 15

[A] THen answered Eliphas the Themanite, and sayde: Shulde a wyse man geue soch an answere (as it were one that spake in the wynde) and fyll his stomacke with anger? Thou reprouest wᵗ wordes, that are nothinge wroth: and speakest the thinges, which can do no good. As for shame, thou hast set it asyde, els woldest thou not make so many wordes before God: but thy wickednesse teacheth thy mouth, and so thou hast chosen the a craftie tonge. Thine owne mouth condemneth the, and not I: yee thine owne lippes shappe the an answere. Art thou the first man, that euer was borne? Or, wast thou made before the hylles? hast thou herde the secrete councell of God, that all wyszdome is to litle for yᵉ? What knowest thou, yᵗ we knowe not? What vnderstondest thou, but we can the same? With vs are olde and aged men, yee soch as haue lyued longer then thy forefathers.

Dost thou nomore regarde the comforte [B] of God? but thy wicked wordes wil not suffre the. Why doth thine herte make the so proude? Why stondest thou so greatly in thine owne conceate? Where vnto loke thine eyes, yᵗ thy mynde is so puft vp agaynst God & lettest soch wordes go out of thy mouth? What is man, that he shulde be vncleane? what hath he (which is borne of a woman) wherby he might: be knowne to be rightuous? Beholde, he hath founde vnfaithfulnesse amōge his owne sanctes:⁽¹⁾ yee the very heauens are vnclene in his sight. How moch more then an abhominable and vyle mā, which dryncketh wickednesse like water? I will tell the, heare me: I wil shewethe a thinge, that I knowe: which wyse men haue tolde, & hath not bene hyd from their fathers: vnto whom only the londe was geuen▪ that no straunger shulde come amonge them.

The vngodly despayreth all the dayes of [C] his life,⁽²⁾ & the nombre of a tyrauntes yeares is vnknowne. A fearfull sounde is euer in his eares, & when it is peace, yet feareth he destruccion: He beleueth neuer to be delyuered out of darcknesse, the swearde is allwaye before his eyes. When he goeth forth to get his lyuinge, he thinketh planely, that the daye of darcknesse is at honde. Sorow and carefulnesse make him afrayed, & cōpasse him rounde aboute, like as it were a kinge with his hoost redy to the battayll. For he hath stretched out his honde agaynst God, & armed himself agaynst yᵉ Allmightie. He runneth proudly vpon him, & with a stiff necke fighteth he agaynst him: where as he couereth his face with fatnesse, and maketh his body well lykynge. Therfore shall his dwellynge be in desolate cities, & in houses which nomā inhabiteth, but are become heapes of stones.

He shall not be rich, nether shall his substaunce [D] continue, ner encrease vpon earth. He shal neuer come out of darcknesse, the flame shal drye vp his braunches, with yᵉ blast of the mouth of God shal he be takē awaie. He wil nether applye himself to faithfulnes ner treuth, so sore is he disceaued wᵗ vanite.

He shall perish, afore his tyme be worne out, and his honde shal not be grene. He shal be pluckte of as an vntymely grape from yᵉ vyne, and shal let his floure fall, as the olyue doth. For the congregacion of Ypocrites is vnfrutefull, & the fyre shal consume the houses of soch,⁽³⁾ as are gredy to receaue giftes. He conceaueth trauayle, he beareth myschefe, & his body bryngeth forth disceate.

Notes to Chapter 15

⁽¹⁾ Iob 4. b 2. Pet. 2. d

⁽²⁾ Gen. 4. b

⁽³⁾ Psal. 7. b Esa. 59. a

Chapter 16

[A] IOb answered, and sayde: I haue oft tymes herde soch thinges. Miserable geuers of comforte are ye, all the sorte of you. Shall not thy vayne wordes come yet to an ende? Or, hast thou yet enymore to saye? I coude speake, as ye do also. But wolde God, that youre soule were in my soules steade: then shulde I heape vp wordes agaynst you, and shake my heade at you. I shulde comforte you with my mouth, and release youre payne with yᵉ talkinge of my lyppes. But what shall I do? For all my wordes, my sorow wil not ceasse: and though I holde my tōge, yet wil it not departe fro me. And now that I am full of payne, and all that I haue destroied (wherof my wryncles beare wytnesse) there stōdeth vp a dyssembler to make me answere with lyes to my face. He is angrie at me, he hateth me, and gnassheth vpon me with his teth. Myne enemy skouleth vpon me with his eyes.

[B] They haue opened their mouthes wyde vpon me,⁽¹⁾ and smytten me vpon the cheke despitefully, they haue eased thē selues thorow myne aduersite. God hath geuen me ouer to the vngodly, and delyuered me in to the hondes of yᵉ wicked. I was somtyme in wealth, but sodenly hath he brought me to naught. He hath taken me by the neck, he hath rente me, and set me, as it were a marck for him to shute at. He hath compased me rounde aboute with his dartes, he hath wounded my loynes, & not spared. My bowels hath he poured vpon the grounde. He hath geuē me one wounde vpon another, and is fallē vpon me like a giaunte. I haue sowed a sack cloth vpon my skynne, and lye with my strength in the dust.

[C] My face is swollē with wepinge, & myne eyes are waxen dymne. Howbeit there is no wickednesse in my hondes, and my prayer is clene. O earth, couer not my bloude, and let my crienge fynde no rowme. For lo, my witnesse is in heauen, and he that knoweth me, is aboue in the heyth. My frendes laugh me to scorne, but myne eye poureth out teares vnto God. Though a body might pleate wᵗ God, as one man doth with another, yet the nombre of my yeares are come, & I must go the waye, from whence I shal not turne agayne.

Notes to Chapter 16

⁽¹⁾ 3. Re. 22 d Mar. 14. g

Chapter 17

MY breth fayleth, my dayes are shortened,[A] I am harde at deathes dore. I haue disceaued no man, yet must myne eye cōtinue in heuynesse. O delyuer me, and set me by the, who shall then be able to thrust my hondes together? Thou hast with holdē their hertes from vnderstōdinge, therfore shall they not be set vp an hye. He promiseth his frēdes parte of his good, but his owne childrē spende it. He hath made me as it were a byworde of the comon people, I am his gestinge stocke amōge thē. My countenaunce is heuy for very anger, & the membres of my body are become like a shadowe. Vertuous mē therfore shall wel cōsidre this, and the innocent shal take parte agaynst the Ypocrite.

The rightuous wil kepe his waye, and he [B] yᵗ hath cleane handes, wil euer be stronger & stronger. As for you, turne you, & get you hence, for I can not se one wyse mā amonge you. My dayes are past, my thoughtes are vanished awaye, which haue vexed myne herte, chaunginge the night in to daye, & yᵉ light in to darcknes. Though I tary neuer so moch, yet the graue is my house, and I must make my bed in the darcke. I call corrupcion my father, and the wormes call I my mother and my sister. What helpeth then my longe tarienge? Or, who wil fulfill the thinge, that I loke for? All that I haue, shall go downe in to the pytt, & lye with me in the dust.

Chapter 18

THen answered Baldad the Suhite,[A] and sayde: when wil ye make an ende of youre wordes? Marcke well, and considre, we wil speake also. Wherfore are we counted as beestes, & reputed so vyle in youre sight? Why destroyest thou thy self with anger? Shal yᵉ earth be forsaken, or the stones remoued out of their place because of yᵗ? Shal not the light of the vngodly be put out? yee the flame of his fyre shal not burne. The light shalbe darcke in his dwellinge, & his candle shalbe put out with him. His presumptuous goinges shal be kepte in, and his owne councell shal cast him downe. For his fete shalbe taken in the nett, and he shal walke in the snare. His fote shalbe holden in the gilder, and the thurstie shal catch him. The snare is layed for him in the grounde, and a pytfall in the waye.

[B] Fearfulnesse shal make him afrayed on euery syde, that he shall not knowe, where to get out. Honger shalbe his substaunce, and myszfortune shall hange vpon him. He shall eate his owne skynne, yee his owne armes shall he deuoure, beynge a firstborne of death. All his comforte and hope shalbe roted out of his dwellynge, very fearfulnesse shall brynge him to the kynge. Other men shall dwel in his house (which now is none of his) and brymstone shalbe scatered vpon his habitacion. His rotes shalbe dryed vp beneth, & aboue shall his haruest be cut downe. His remembraunce shall perish from the earth, & his name shall not be praysed in the stretes: he shalbe dryuen from the light in to darcknesse, and be cast clene out of the worlde. He shall nether haue children ner kynßfolkes amonge his people, no ner eny posterite in his countre: yonge & olde shalbe astonyshed at his death. Soch are now the dwellynges of the wicked, and this is yᵉ place of him that knoweth not God.

Chapter 19

[A] IOb answered, & sayde: How lōge wil ye vexe my mynde, & trouble me with wordes? Lo, tentymes haue ye reproued me: are ye not ashamed, for to laugh me so to scorne? yf I go wronge, I go wronge to my self. But yf ye wil enhaunce yoʳ selues agaynst me, & accuse me to be a wicked personne because of the shame that is come vpon me: knowe this then, yᵗ it is God, which hath handled me so violētly, & hath compased me aboute with his scourges. Beholde, though I crie,⁽¹⁾ yet violēce is done vnto me, I can not be herde: Though I complane, there is none to geue sentēce with me. He hath hedged vp my path, I cā not get awaye, he hath set darcknesse in my gate.

[B] He hath spoyled me of myne honoure, & taken the crowne awaye fro my heade. He hath destroyed me on euery syde, and I am vndone: My hope hath he taken awaye fro me, as it were a tre plucte vp by the rote. His wrath is kyndled agaynst me, he taketh me, as though I were his enemy.

His men of warre came together, which made their waye ouer me, and beseged my dwellinge rounde aboute.⁽²⁾ He hath put my brethren farre awaye fro me, and soch as were of myne acquauntaunce, are become straūgers vnto me. Myne owne kynszfolkes haue forsaken me, and my frendes haue put me out of remembraunce. The seruauntes and maydens of myne owne house take me for a straūger, and I am become as an aleaunt in their sight.

When I call vpon my seruaūt, he geueth [C] me no answere: no though I praie him with my mouth. Myne owne wyfe maye not abyde my breth, I am fayne to speake fayre vnto the children of myne owne body. Yee the very deserte fooles despyse me, and when I am gone from them, they speake euell vpon me. All soch as were my most familiers, abhorre me: and they whom I loued best, are turned agaynst me. My bone hangeth to my skynne, and the flesh is awaye, only there is left me the skynne aboute my teth. Haue pite vpon me, haue pite vpon me (o ye my frendes) for the hande of the LORDE hath touched me. Seynge God persecuteth me, wil ye vexe me also? Haue ye not yet ynough of the trouble of my flesh?

O that my wordes were written, O that [D] they were put in a boke: wolde God they were grauē wᵗ an yron pēne in leade or in stone. For I am sure, that my redemer lyueth, and that I shall ryse out of the earth in the latter daye: that I shal be clothed againe with this skynne, and se God in my flesh. Yee I my self shal beholde him, not with other but with these same eyes. My reynes are consumed within me, when yee saye: Why do not we persecute him? we haue founde an occasion agaynst him. But bewarre of the swearde, for the swearde wylbe avenged of wickednesse, and be sure, that there is a iudgment.

Notes to Chapter 19

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 20

THen answered Sophar the Naamathite,[A] and sayde: For the same cause do my thoughtes compell me to answere. And why? my mynde is tossed here and there. I haue sufficiently herde the checkynge & reprofe, therfore am I purposed to make answere after my vnderstōdinge. Knowest thou not this, namely: that from the begynninge (euer sence the creacion of man vpon earth) the prayse of the vngodly hath bene shorte, and that the ioye of Ypocrytes continued but yᵉ twincklinge of an eye? Though he be magnified vp to the heauē, so that his heade reacheth vnto the cloudes: yet he perisheth at the last like donge: In so moch yᵉ they which haue sene him, saye: Where is he? He vanysheth as a dreame, so that he can no more be founde, & passeth awaye as a vision in yᵉ night. So that the eye which sawe him before, getteth now no sight of him, & his place knoweth him nomore. His childrē go a begginge, their handes bringe thē to sorow and heuynesse.

From his youth his bones are ful of vyce,[B] which shal lie downe wᵗ him in yᵉ earth. Whē wickednesse is swete in his mouth, he hydeth it vnder his tonge. That he fauoureth, that wyll he not forsake, but kepeth it close in his throte. The meate that he eateth, shalbe turned to the poyson of serpētes within his body. The riches yᵗ he deuoureth, shall he perbreake agayne, for God shal drawe them out of his bely. The serpentes heade shall sucke him, and the adders tonge shall slaye him: so that he shal nomore se the ryuers and brokes of hony and butter: But laboure shal he, & yet haue nothinge to eate. Greate trauayle shal he make for riches, but he shal not enioye them. And why? he hath oppressed the poore, and not helped them: houses hath he spoyled, and not buylded them. His bely coude neuer be fylled, therfore shall he perish in [C] his couetousnesse. He deuoured so gredely, yᵗ he left nothinge behynde, therfore his goodes shal not prospere.⁽¹⁾ Though he had plenteousnesse of euerythinge, yet was he poore, & therfore he is but a wretch on euery syde.

For though yᵉ wicked haue neuer so moch to fyll his bely, yet God shal sende his wrath vpon him▪ and cause his battayll to rayne ouer him: so that yf he fle the yron weapens, he shall be shott with the stele bowe. The arowe shal be taken forth, & go out at his backe, and a glisteringe swearde thorow yᵉ gall of him, feare shal come vpō him. There shal no darcknes be able to hyde him. An vnkyndled fyre shal consume him, and loke what remayneth in his house, it shall be destroyed. The heauen shall declare his wickednesse, & the earth shal take parte agaynst him. The substaunce that he hath in his house, shalbe taken awaye and perish, in the daye of the LORDES wrath. This is the porcion that yᵉ wicked shal haue of God,⁽²⁾ and the heretage that he maye loke for of the LORDE.

Notes to Chapter 20

⁽¹⁾ Eccls. 5. b

⁽²⁾ Iob 27. b

Chapter 21

[A] IOb answered, and sayde: O heare my wordes, and amende yoʳ selues. Suffre me a litle, that I maye speake also, and thē laugh my wordes to scorne, yf ye will. Is it with a man, that I make this disputaciō? Which yf it were so, shulde not my sprete be thē in sore trouble? Marck me well, be abaszshed, and laye youre hāde vpon youre mouth. For whē I pondre & considre this, I am afrayed, and my flesh is smytten with feare.⁽¹⁾ Wherfore do wicked mē lyue in health and prosperite, come to their olde age, & increase in riches? Their childers children lyue in their sight, & their generacion before their eyes.⁽²⁾ Their houses are safe from all feare, for the rodd of God doth not smyte thē. Their bullocke gendreth, and that not out of tyme: their cow calueth, and is not vnfrutefull.

They sende forth their children by flockes,[B] and their sonnes lede the daunce.⁽³⁾ They beare with them tabrettes and harpes, and haue instrumentes of musick at their pleasure. They spende their dayes in welthynesse: but sodenly they go downe to hell. They saye vnto God: go from vs, we desyre not the knowlege of thy wayes.⁽⁴⁾ What maner of felowe is the Allmightie, that we shulde serue him? What profit shulde we haue, to submitte oure selues vnto him? Lo, there is vtterly no goodnesse in them, therfore will not I haue to do with the councell of the vngodly. How oft shal the candle of yᵉ wicked be put out▪ ⁽⁵⁾ how oft commeth their destruccion vpon them? O what sorowe shall God geue them for their parte in his wrath? Yee they shal be euen as chaffe before the wynde,⁽⁶⁾ and as dust that the storme carieth awaye.

And though God saue their childrē from [C] soch sorowe, yet wil he so rewarde thēselues, that they shal knowe it. Their owne destruccion and misery shal they se with their eyes, and drynke of the fearfull wrath of the Allmighty. For whath careth he, what become of his housholde after his death? whose monethes passe awaye swifter then an arowe. In as moch thē as God hath yᵉ hyest power of all, who can teach him eny knowlege? One dyeth now when he is mightie & at his best, rich and in prosperite: euen when his bowels are at the fattest, and his bones full of mary. Another dyeth in sorowe and heuynesse, and neuer had good daies. Now slepe they both a like in the earth, & the wormes couer them. But I knowe what ye thinke, yee and what ye ymagin agaynst me vnrightuously.⁽⁷⁾ For ye saye: where is the prynces palace? where is the dwellynge of the vngodly: Axe eny man that goeth by the waye, and (yf ye will not regarde their tokens & dedes) he shal tell you,⁽⁸⁾ that the wicked is kepte vnto the daye of destruccion, and that the vngodly shalbe brought forth in the daye of wrath. Who darre reproue him for his wayes to his face⟨illegible⟩ who rewardeth him for the vngraciousnesse that he doth? Yet shal he be brought to his graue, and watch amonge the heape of the deed. Thē shal he be fayne to be buried amōge the stones by the brokesyde. All men must folowe him, & there are innumerable gone before him. O how vayne is the comforte yᵉ ye geue me? Are not youre answeres cleane contrary to right and treuth?

Notes to Chapter 21

⁽¹⁾ Psal. 72. a Iere. 12. a

⁽²⁾ Pro. 3. b Heb. 12. a

⁽³⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

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Chapter 22

[A] SO Eliphas the Themanite gaue answere, & sayde: Maye a man be cōpared vnto God in wyszdome, though he seme to himself, for to be like him? What pleasure hath God in yᵗ thou art rightuous? Or what doth it profite him, yᵗ thy waies are perfecte? Is he afrayed to reproue the, & to steppe forth wᵗ the in to iudgment?⁽¹⁾ Cōmeth not this for yᵉ greate wickednesse,⁽²⁾ & for thine vngracious dedes which are innumerable? Thou hast takē the pledge from thy brethrē for naught, & robbed the naked of their clothinge:⁽³⁾ To soch as were weery, hast thou geuē no water to drynke, thou hast withdrawē bred frō the hungrie: Shulde soch one thē as vseth violēce, wrōge & oppression (doinge all thinges of parcialyte, & hauynge respecte of personnes) dwell in the lōde? Thou hast sent wyddowes awaye emptie and oppressed the poore fatherlesse.

[B] Therfore art thou compased aboute with snares on euery syde, & sodēly vexed wᵗ feare. Shuldest thou thē se no darcknesse? Shulde not the water floude runne ouer the? Now because yᵗ God is hyer thē the heauens, & because thou seist yᵗ the starres are so hye, wilt thou therfore saye:⁽⁴⁾ Tush, how shulde God knowe? Doth his dominion reach beyonde the cloudes? Tush, the cloudes couer him, yᵗ he maye not se, for he dwelleth in heauen. Well, thou wilt kepe the olde waye, yᵗ all wicked mē haue gone: both olde & yonge, whose foundacion is a runnynge water, which saye vnto God: go from vs, and after this maner: Tush,⁽⁵⁾ what wil the Allmightie do vnto vs? where as he (not with stōdinge) fylleth their houses wᵗ all good. Which meanynge of the vngodly be farre fro me.⁽⁶⁾ For wᵗ ioy shal the godly, and with gladnesse shal the innocent se, that their increase shal be hewen downe, & their posterite consumed with the fyre.

[C] Therfore recōcile the vnto God, & be content, so shal all thinges prospere wᵗ the right well.⁽⁷⁾ Receaue the lawe at his mouth, & laye vp his wordes in thine herte. For yf thou wilt turne to the Allmightie,⁽⁸⁾ thou shalt stonde fast, & all vnrightuousnesse shall be farre from thy dwellinge: He shal geue the an haruest, which in plenty & abundaunce shall exceade the dust of the earth, and the golde of Ophir like ryuer stones. Yee the Allmightie his owne self shalbe thine haruest, & the heape of thy money. Then shalt thou haue thy delyte in the Allmightie, & lift vp thy face vnto God. Thē shalt thou make thy prayer vnto him, & he shal heare the, & thou shalt kepe thy promyses. Thē, loke what thou takest in honde, he shal make it to prospere with the, and the light shall shyne in thy wayes. For who so humbleth himself, him shal he set vp: and who so loketh mekely, shalbe healed. Yf thou be innocēt, he shal saue the: and thorow the vngiltynesse of thyne handes shalt thou be delyuered.

Notes to Chapter 22

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Chapter 23

IOb answered, and sayd: My sayenge [A] is yet this daye in bytternes, and my hande heuy amonge my groninges. O that I might se him & fynde him: O that I might come before his seate, to pleate my cause before him, and to fyll my mouth with argumentes: That I might knowe, what answere he wolde geue me: & that I might vnderstonde, what he wolde saye vnto me. Wil he pleate agaynst me with his greate power & strength, or wyll he leane him self vtterly vpon me? Oh no, let him not do so with me. But let hym geue me like power to go to lawe, then am I sure to wynne my matter. For though I go before, I fynde him not: yf I come behynde, I cā get no knowlege of him: Yf I go on the left syde to pondre his workes, I can not atteyne vnto them: Agayne, yf I go on the right syde, he hydeth himself, yᵗ I can not se him. But as for my waye,⁽¹⁾ he knoweth it: & trieth me as yᵉ golde in yᵉ fyre.

Neuertheles my fete kepe his path, his [B] hye strete haue I holden, and not gone out of it. I haue not forsaken the cōmaundemēt of his lippes, but loke what he charged me with his mouth, that haue I shutt vp in my herte. It is he himself alone, who will turne him back? He doth as him listeth, and bryngeth to passe what he wil. He rewardeth me in to my bosome, & many other thinges mo doth he, as he maye by his power. This is yᵉ cause, that I shrenke at his presence, so that when I considre him, I am afrayed of him. For in so moch as he is God, he maketh my herte soft: and seynge that he is Allmightie, he putteth me in feare. Thus can not I get out of darcknesse, the cloude hath so couered my face.

Notes to Chapter 23

⁽¹⁾ Sap. 3. a 1. Pet. 1. ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 24

COnsideringe then that there is no tyme [A] hyd from the Allmightie, how happeneth it, that they which knowe him, wil not regarde his dayes? For some mē there be, that remoue other mēs londe markes:⁽¹⁾ that robbe them of their catell, and kepe the same for their owne: that dryue awaye the asse of the fatherlesse: that take yᵉ wyddowes oxe for a pledge: that thrust the poore out of the waye,⁽²⁾ & oppresse the symple of the worlde together. Beholde, the wilde asses in yᵉ deserte go by tymes (as their maner is) to spoyle: Yee the very wildernesse ministreth foode for their children. They reape the corne felde that is not their▪ owne: and gather the grapes out of his vynyarde, whom they haue oppressed by violence. They are the cause yᵗ so many men are naked and bare, hauynge no clothes to couer them and kepe them [B] from colde: So that when the showers in the mountaynes haue rayned vpon them, & they be all wett, they haue none other sucoure, but to kepe them amonge the rockes.

They spoyle the suckinge fatherlesse children, and put the poore in preson: In so moch that they let them go naked without clothinge, and yet the hungrie beare the sheeues. The poore are fayne to laboure in their oyle mylles, yee and to treade in their wyne presses, and yet to suffre thyrst. The whole cite crieth vnto the LORDE with sighinge,⁽³⁾ the soules of the slayne make their complaynte: But God destroyeth them not for all this, where as they (not wᵗ stōdinge) are rebellious and disobedient enemies: which seke not his light and waye, ner turne agayne in to his path.⁽⁴⁾ Tymely in the mornynge do they aryse, to murthur the symple and poore, & in the night they go a stealinge.

The eye of the vngodly is like the aduouterer, [C] that wayteth for the darcknesse, and sayeth thus in him self: Tush, there shal no mā se me, & so he disgyseth his face. In the night season they search the houses, and hyde them selues in the daye tyme, but wil not knowe yᵉ light. For as soone as the daye breaketh, the shadowe of death commeth vpō them, and they go in horrible darcknesse. The vngodly is very swyft: O yᵗ his porciō also vpō earth were swyfter then yᵉ runnynge water, which suffreth not yᵉ shipmā to beholde the fayre & pleasaūt vyniardes. O yᵗ they (for the wickednesse which they haue done) were drawen to the hell, sooner thē snowe melteth at the heate. [D] O yᵗ all cōpassion vpon thē were forgottē: yᵗ their daynties were wormes: that they were clene put out of remembraunce, & vtterly hewē downe like an vnfrutefull tre. For they manteyne the baren, & make them yᵗ they can not beare, & vnto wyddowes they do no good. They plucke downe the mightie wᵗ their power, & when they them selues are gotten vp, they are neuer without feare, as longe as they liue. And though they might be safe, yet they wil not receaue it, for their eyes loke vpon their owne wayes. They are exalted for a litle, but shortly are they gone, brought to extreme pouerte, & takē out of the waye: yee & vtterly plucte of as the eares of corne. Is it not so? Who wil thē reproue me as a lyar, & saye yᵗ my wordes are nothinge worth?

Notes to Chapter 24

⁽¹⁾ Deu. 19. c 27. c Exo. 22. c

⁽²⁾ Exo. 23. a

⁽³⁾ ⟨illegible⟩oc. 6. b Es. 15. b

⁽⁴⁾ ⟨illegible⟩. 22. d

Chapter 25

THen answered Baldad the Suhite,[A] & sayde: Power & feare is with him aboue, that maketh peace (sittinge) in his hynesse, whose men of warre are innumerable, and whose light aryseth ouer all.⁽¹⁾ But how maye a man cōpared vnto God, be iustified? Or, how can he be clene, that is borne of a woman? Beholde, the Moone shyneth nothinge in comparison to him, & the starres are vnclene in his sight. How moch more thē, mā, that is but corrupcion: and the sonne of man, which is but a worme?

Notes to Chapter 25

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 26

IOb answered, and sayde: O how helpest [A] thou the weake? what comforte geuest thou vnto him that hath no strēgth? Where is yᵉ coūcell yᵗ thou shuldest geue him, which hath no wyszdome? Wilt thou so shewe thine excellent rightuousnes? Before whom hast thou spoken those wordes? Who made the breth to come out of yᵉ mouth? The giauntes & worthies yᵗ are slayne, & lye vnder yᵉ worlde wᵗ their cōpanions: yee & all they which dwell beneth in the hell are not hyd frō him, & the very destruccion it self cā not be kepte out of his sight.. He stretcheth out yᵉ north ouer the emptie, & hāgeth yᵉ earth vpō nothinge. He byndeth yᵉ water in his cloudes, that they fall not downe together. He holdeth back his stole, that it cānot [B] be sene, and spredeth his cloudes before it.

He hath cōpased the waters wᵗ certayne boundes,⁽¹⁾ vntill the daye & night come to an ende. The very pilers of heauē trēble & quake at his reprofe.⁽²⁾ He stilleth the see with his power, & thorow his wyszdome hath he set forth yᵉ worlde. With his sprete hath he garnished the heauēs, & with his hande hath he wounded the rebellious serpēt. This is now a shorte summe of his doynges. But who is able sufficiently to rehearce his workes? Who can perceaue and vnderstonde yᵉ thondre of his power?

Notes to Chapter 26

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 27

IOb also proceaded and wēte forth in [A] his communicacion, sayēge: As truly as God lyueth (which hath taken awaye my power fro me) & the Allmightie, that hath vexed my mynde: My lippes shall talke of no vanite, and my tonge shal speake no disceate, whyle my breth is in me, and as longe as the wynde (that God hath geuen me) is in my nostrels.

God forbydde, that I shulde graunte youre cause to be right. As for me, vntill myne ende come wil I neuer go fro myne innocency. My rightuous dealynge wil I kepe fast, & not forsake it: For my conscience reproueth me not in all my conuersacion. Therfore myne enemy shalbe founde as the vngodly, & he yᵗ taketh parte agaynst me, as the vnrightuous. What hope hath yᵉ Ypocrite, though he haue greate good, and though God geue him riches after his hertes desyre? Doth God heare him the sooner, whē he crieth vnto [B] him in his necessite? Hath he soch pleasure & delyte in the Allmightie, that he darre allwaye call vpon God? I wil teach you in the name of God, & the thinge that I haue of yᵉ Allmightie, wil I not kepe from you. Beholde, ye stonde in yoʳ owne conceate, as though ye knew all thinges. Wherfore then do ye go aboute wᵗ soch vayne wordes, sayēge: This is the porcion that the wicked shall haue of God, & the heretage that Tyrauntes shal receaue of yᵉ Allmightie. Yf he get many childrē, they shal perish wᵗ the swearde, & his posterite shall haue scarcenesse of bred. Loke whom he leaueth behinde him, they shal dye & be buried, & no man shall haue pite of his [C] wyddowes. Though he haue as moch money as the dust of the earth, & raymēt as ready as the claye, he maye well prepare it: but the godly shal put it vpon him, and the innocēt shal deale out the money. His house shal endure as the moth, & as a bothe that the watch man maketh. When the rich man dyeth, he carieth nothinge with him: he is gone in yᵉ twincklynge of an eye. Destruccion taketh holde vpō him as a water floude, & yᵉ tēpest stealeth him awaye in the night season. A vehement wynde carieth him hence, & departeth: a storme plucketh him out of his place. It ruszsheth in vpon him, and spareth him not, he maye not escape from the power therof. Than clappe mē their hōdes at him, yee and ieast of him, whē they loke vpon his place.

Chapter 28

[A] THere are places where syluer is moltē,⁽¹⁾ & where golde is tryed: where yron is dygged out of the grounde, & stones resolued to metall. The darcknes shal once come to an ende, he can seke out the grounde of all thinges: the stones, the darcke, & the horrible shadowe. wᵗ the ryuer of water parteth he a sunder the straunge people, yᵗ knoweth no good neghbourheade: soch as are rude, vnmanerly & boysteous. He bryngeth foode out of the earth, & yᵗ which is vnder, consumeth he with fyre. There is founde a place, whose stones are clene Saphirs, and where yᵉ clottes of the earth are golde. There is a waye also that the byrdes knowe not, that no vulturs eye hath sene: wherin yᵉ proude & hye mynded walke not, & where no lyon commeth. There putteth he his honde vpon the stony rockes, & ouerthroweth the mountaynes. Ryuers flowe out of the rockes, & loke what is pleasaunt, his eye seyth it. Out of droppes bryngeth he greate floudes together, & the thinge that is hyd bryngeth he to light. How commeth a man then by wyszdome?[B] ⁽²⁾ Where is the place that men fynde vnderstondinge? Verely no man can tell how worthy a thinge she is, nether is she foūde in the lōde of the lyuynge. The depe sayeth: she is not in me. The see sayeth: she is not with me. She can not be gotten for the most fyne golde, nether maye the pryce of her be bought with eny moneye. No wedges of golde of Ophir, no precious Onix stones, no Saphirs maye be compared vnto her. No, nether golde ner Christall, nether swete odours ner golden plate. There is nothinge so worthy, or so excellēt, as once to be named vnto her: for parfecte wyszdome goeth farre beyonde thē all. The Topas that cōmeth out of Inde, maye in no wyse be lickened vnto her: yee no maner of apparell how pleasaunt and fayre so euer it be.

From whēce then commeth wyszdome? & [C] where is the place of vnderstondinge? She is hyd from the eyes of all men, yee & frō the foules of the ayre. Destruccion & death saie: we haue herde tell of her wᵗ oure eares. But God seyth hir waie, & knoweth hir place. For he beholdeth the endes of the worlde, and loketh vpon all that is vnder the heauē. When he weyed the wyndes, & measured yᵉ waters: when he set the rayne in ordre, and gaue the mightie floudes a lawe: Then dyd he se her, thē declared he her, prepared her and knewe her. And vnto man he sayde: Beholde,⁽³⁾ to feare the LORDE, is wyszdome: & to forsake euell, is vnderstondinge.

Notes to Chapter 28

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩. b

⁽²⁾ Eccli. 1. a 7. c Iacob. 1. a ⟨illegible⟩. Reg. 3. b 4. c Pro. ⟨illegible⟩. a Sap. 7. b

⁽³⁾ Psal. 110. b Pro. 1. a 9 b Eccli. 1. e

Chapter 29

SO Iob proceaded and wēte forth in [A] his communicacion, sayenge: O yᵗ I were as I was in the monethes by past, & in the dayes whē God preserued me: when his light shyned vpon my heade: whē I wente after the same light & shyne euē thorow the darcknesse. As it stode wᵗ me, whē I was welthy & had ynough: whē God prospered my house: when the allmightie was with me: when my housholde folkes stode aboute me: whē my wayes ranne ouer wᵗ butter, & when the stony rockes gaue me ryuers of oyle: when I wente thorow the cite vnto the gate, & whē they set me a chayre in yᵉ strete: [B] whē the yonge mē (as soone as they sawe me) hyd thē selues, & when the aged arose, & stode vp vnto me: whē the princes left of their talkinge, & laied their hāde to their mouth: whē the mightie kepte still their voyce, and whē their tonges cleued to the rofe of their mouthes. When all they yᵗ herde me, called me happie: & when all they yᵗ sawe me, wysshed me good. For I delyuered yᵉ poore whē he cried, & the fatherlesse yᵗ wanted helpe. He yᵗ shulde haue bene lost, gaue me a good worde, & yᵉ widdowes hert praised me. And why? I put vpon me rightuousnes, which couered me as a garmēt, & equite was my crowne. I was an eye vnto the blynde, & a fote to the lame. I was a father vnto the poore, & whē I knew not their cause, I sought it out diligētly. I brake the chaftes of yᵉ vnrightuous, & plucte the spoyle out of their teth.⁽¹⁾

[C] Therfore, I thought verely, yᵗ I shulde haue dyed in my nest: & yᵗ my dayes shulde haue bene as many as the sondes of the see. For my rote was spred out by the waters syde, & the dew laye vpō my corne. My honoʳ encreased more & more, and my bowe was euer the stronger in my hande. Vnto me men gaue eare, me they regarded, & wᵗ sylence they taried for my coūcell. Yf I had spoken, they wolde haue it none other wayes, my wordes were so well taken amonge thē. They wayted for me, as the earth doth for the rayne: & gaped vpon me, as the groūde doth to receaue the latter shower. When I laughed, they knew well it was not earnest: & this testimony of my coūtenaunce pleased thē nothinge at all. When I agreed vnto their waye, I was the chefe, & sat as a kynge amonge his seruauntes: Or as one that comforteth soch as be in heuynesse.

Notes to Chapter 29

⁽¹⁾ Gen. 14. c

Chapter 30

[A] BVt now they that are my inferiours & yonger then I, haue me in derision: yee euē they, whose fathers I wolde haue thought scorne to haue set wᵗ the dogges of my catell. The power & strēgth of their hādes might do me no good, & as for their age, it is spēt & past awaye without eny profit. For very misery & honger, they wente aboute in the wildernesse like wretches & beggers, pluckynge vp herbes from amonge the buszshes, & the Iumpers rote was their meate. And when they were dryuen forth, men cried after them, as it had bene after a thefe. Their dwellinge was beside foule brokes, yee in the caues & dennes of the earth. Vpō the drye heeth wēte they aboute crienge, & in the brome hilles they gathered them together. They were the children of fooles & vylanes, which are deed awaye frō the worlde.⁽¹⁾ Now am I their songe, & am become their iestinge stocke. they abhorre me, they fle farre fro me & stayne my face wᵗ spetle. For yᵉ LORDE hath opened his quyuer, he hath hytt me, & put a brydle in my mouth. Vpon my right hāde [B] they rose together agaynst me, they haue hurte my fete, made awaye to destroye me, & my path haue they clene marred. It was so easy for them to do me harme, that they neded no man to helpe thē. They fell vpon me, as it had bene yᵉ breakynge in of waters, & came in by heapes to destroye me. Fearfulnesse is turned agaynst me. Myne honoure van⟨illegible⟩sheth awaye more swiftly then wynde, & my prosperite departeth hēce like as it were a cloude. Therfore is my mynde poured full of heuynesse, & yᵉ dayes of trouble haue takē holde vpon me. My bones are pearsed thorow in yᵉ night season, & my synewes take no rest. With all their power haue they chaunged my garmēt, & gyrded me therwith, as it were wᵗ a coate. I am euē as it were claye, & am become like aszshes & dust. Whē I crie vnto the, thou doest not heare me: & though I stonde before the, yet thou regardest me not. Thou art become myne enemye, & wᵗ yⁱ violēt hāde thou takest parte agaynst me. In tymes past thou didest set me vp an hye, as it were aboue yᵉ winde, but now hast thou geuē me a very sore fall. Sure I am, yᵗ thou wilt [C] delyuer me vnto death: where as a lodgyng is prepared for all mē lyuinge. Now vse not mē to do violēce vnto thē, yᵗ are destroyed all ready: but ⟨illegible⟩here hurte is done, there vse thei to helpe. Dyd not I wepe in yᵉ tyme of trouble? Had not my soule cōpassion vpō yᵉ poore? Yet neuerthelesse where as I loked for good, euell happened vnto me: and where as I waited for light, there came darcknesse. My bowels seeth wᵗ in me & take no rest, for yᵉ dayes of my trouble are come vpō me. Mekely & lowly came I in, yee & without eny displeasure: I stode vp in yᵉ cōgregacion, & commoned with thē But now. I am a cōpanyon of dragons, & a felowe of Estriches. My s⟨illegible⟩ynne vpō me is turned to black, & my b⟨illegible⟩nes are brēt wᵗ heate: my harpe is turned to sorow, & my pipe to wepinge.

Notes to Chapter 30

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 31

A leaf is lacking here in the copy transcribed by EEBO-TCP. The text between ⟦ and ⟧ (Job 31:3 - 34:9) is supplied from Samuel Bagster’s 1838 page-for-page reprint of this edition, read from its OCR word by word; ⟨illegible⟩ marks a word the OCR does not give with certainty, and the marginal notes of the lost leaf are not supplied. See this room’s Supplied Readings page for how such passages were supplied.

I Made a couenaunt wᵗ myne eyes, yᵗ I [A] wolde not loke vpō a dāsell.⁽¹⁾ For how greate a porciō shal I haue of God frō aboue? & what enheritaūce frō yᵉ Almightie on hie? As for the vngodly & he yᵗ ioyneth himself to yᵉ cōpani of wicked doers shal not ⟦destruccion & misery ⟨illegible⟩ vpon him? Doth not he se my wayes, ⟨illegible⟩ tell all my goinges? Yf I haue cleued vnto vanite, or yf my fete haue runne to disceaue: let ⟨illegible⟩ be weyed in an eauen balaunce, that God ⟨illegible⟩ se my innocency. Yf so be that I haue withdrawen my fote out of the right waye, yf my hert hath folowed myne eye sight, yf I haue stayned or defyled my hōdes: O then is it reason that I sowe, and another ⟨illegible⟩ yee that my generacion and posterite be clene roted out. Yf my hert hath lusted after my neghbours wife, or yf I haue layed wayte at his dore: O then let my wife be another mans harlot, and let other lye with her. For this is a wickednesse and synne, that is worthy to be punyshed, yee a fyre that vtterly shulde consume, rote out all my ⟨illegible⟩

⟨illegible⟩ Dyd I euer thynke scorne to do right vnto my seruaūtes and maydens, when they had eny matter agaynst me? But seynge that God wil sytt in iudgment, what shal I do? And for so moch as he wil ⟨illegible⟩ vyset me, what answere shal I ⟨illegible⟩ him? He that fashioned ⟨illegible⟩ in my mothers wombe, made he not him also? were we not both ⟨illegible⟩ alyke in oure mothers bodies? When the poore desyred eny thinge at me, haue I denyed it them? Haue I caused yᵉ wyddowe stonde waytinge for ⟨illegible⟩ in vayne yᵉ Haue I eaten my porcion alone, that the fatherles hath had no parte with me? (for mercy grewe vp with me fro my youth, & compassion fro my mothers wombe.) Haue I sene eny man perish thorow nakednes & want of clothinge? Or, eny poore man for ⟨illegible⟩ of rayment, whose sydes thanked me not, because he was warmed with yᵉ woll of my shepe?

Dyd I euer ⟨illegible⟩ vp my honde to hurte the fatherlesse? Yee in the gate where I sawe my self to be in auctorite: ⟨illegible⟩ let myne arme fall fro my shulder, & myne ⟨illegible⟩ holes be broken from ⟨illegible⟩ ioyntes. For I haue euer feared ⟨illegible⟩ vengeaunce & punyshmēt of God, & knew very well, ⟨illegible⟩ I was not able to beare his burthē. Haue put my trust in golde? Or, haue I sayde to ⟨illegible⟩ fynest golde of all: thou art my ⟨illegible⟩ Haue I reioysed because my substaunce was greate, and because my honde gat so moch? Dyd I euer greatly regarde the rysinge of the Sonne? Or, had I the goinge downe of yᵉ Moone in greate reputacion? Hath my hert medled priuely with eny disceate? Or, dyd I euer kysse myne owne honde (that were a wickednesse worthy to be punyshed, for then shulde I haue denyed ⟨illegible⟩ God that is aboue.) Haue I euer reioysed at the hurte of myne enemy? Or, was I euer glad, yᵗ eny harme happened vnto him? Oh no, I neuer suffred my mouth to do soch a sinne, as to wysh him euell. Yet they of myne owne housholde saye: ⟨illegible⟩ shal let vs, to haue oure bely ful of his flesh? I haue not suffred a straunger to lye with out, but opened my dores vnto him. Haue I euer done eny wicked dede where thorow I shamed my self before men: Or eny abhominacion, ⟨illegible⟩ I was fayne to hyde it? For yf I had feared eny greate multitude of people: Or yf I had bene ⟨illegible⟩ of ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ Oh then shulde I haue bene afrayed. Thus haue I quyetly spent my lyfe, and not gone out at yᵉ dore. O that I had one which wolde heare me. Lo, this is my cause. Let ⟨illegible⟩ Allmightie ⟨illegible⟩ me answere: & let him that is my cōtrary ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ with a ⟨illegible⟩ Then shall I take it vpon my shulder, & as a ⟨illegible⟩ aboute my heade. I haue tolde the nombre of my goinges, and delyuered them vnto him as to a prynce. But yf case be that my londe crie agaynst me, or ⟨illegible⟩ the forowes therof make any complaynte: yf I haue eaten the frutes therof ⟨illegible⟩ for, yee yf I haue greued eny of ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ men: Than, let thistles growe in steade of my wheate, & thornes for my barlye.

Here ende the wordes of Iob.

Notes to Chapter 31

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 32

SO these thre men wolde stryue nomore with Iob, because he helde himself a rightuous man. But ⟨illegible⟩ the sonne of ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ of the kynred of Ram, was very sore displeased at Iob, that he called himself iust before God. And with Iobs thre frēdes he was angrie also, because they had founde no reasonable answere to ouercome him. Now taried ⟨illegible⟩ till they had ended their communicacion with Iob, for why? they were ⟨illegible⟩ then he. So when ⟨illegible⟩ yᵉ sonne of ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ sawe, that these thre men were not able to make Iob answere, he was ⟨illegible⟩ so that he gaue answere himself, and sayde: ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ I am yonge, & ye be men of age, I was afrayed, durst not shewe forth my mynde, for I thought thus within my self: ⟨illegible⟩ becōmeth olde men to speake, & the aged to teach wyszdome. Euery mā (no doute) hath a mynde, but it is the ⟨illegible⟩ of the ⟨illegible⟩ that geueth vnderstondinge. All men are not wyse, nether doth euery aged man vnderstonde the thinge that is laufull. Therfore wil I speake also (in so farre as I maye be herde) & wil shewe ⟨illegible⟩ myne ⟨illegible⟩ For whē I had wayted till ye made an ende of youre talkynge, & herde youre wyszdome, what ⟨illegible⟩ ye made in youre communicacion: yee when I had diligently pondred what ye sayde, I founde not one of you that made eny good ⟨illegible⟩ agaynst Iob, or that ⟨illegible⟩ coude make answere vnto his wordes: lest ye shulde prayse youre selues, to haue founde out wyszdome: because it is God that hath cast him out, & no man. Neuerthelesse, seynge he hath not spoken vnto ⟨illegible⟩ therfore will not I answere him as ye haue done (for they were so abaszshed, that they coude not make answere, ner speake one worde) but in so moch as ye wil not speake, stondinge still like ⟨illegible⟩ men & makinge no answere: I haue a good hope for my parte to shappe him an answere ⟨illegible⟩ to shewe him my meanynge. For I am full of wordes, it the sprete that is within me, ⟨illegible⟩ me. Beholde, I am as the new wyne which hath no ⟨illegible⟩ & ⟨illegible⟩ the new vessels in sunder. Therfore wil I speake, that I maye haue ⟨illegible⟩ I wil open my lyppes, and make answere. I will regarde no maner of ⟨illegible⟩ no man wil I spare. For yf I wolde go aboute to please ⟨illegible⟩ I knowe not how soone my maker wolde take me awaye.

Chapter 33

WHerfore, heare my wordes (O Iob) & herken vnto all, that I wyll saye: Beholde, I wil open ⟨illegible⟩ mouth, my tonge shal speake out of my chawes. My hert shall ordre my wordes a right, & my lyppes shal talke of pure wyszdome. The sprete of God hath made me, & the breth of the ⟨illegible⟩ hath geuē me my life. Yf thou cast, then geue me answere: prepare ⟨illegible⟩ self to stōde before me face to face. Beholde, before God am I euen as thou, for I am fashioned and made euē of the same moulde. Therfore, thou nedest not be afrayed of ⟨illegible⟩ nether nedest thou to feare, that my auctorite shal be to heuy for ⟨illegible⟩ Now hast thou spoken in myne eares, & I haue herde yᵉ voyce of ⟨illegible⟩ wordes: I am clene without eny fawte, I am innocent, & there is no wickednesse in me. But lo, he hath ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ quarell agaynst me, & taketh ⟨illegible⟩ for his enemy: he hath put my fote in the stockes, ⟨illegible⟩ loketh narowly vnto all my pathes. Beholde, vnto these vnreasonable wordes of thyne wil I make answere.

Shulde God be reproued of man? Why doest thou then stryue agaynst him, because he geueth ⟨illegible⟩ no accomptes of all ⟨illegible⟩ For whē God doth once commaunde a thinge, there shulde no man be curious, to search Iob whether it be right. In ⟨illegible⟩ and visions of the night season (when ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ vpō me, that they fall ⟨illegible⟩ slepe in their beddes) he rowneth them in the eares, he ⟨illegible⟩ them, & sheweth the planely, that it is he, which withdraweth man from euell, delyuereth him from pryde, kepeth his soule from destruccion, & his life from yᵉ swearde. he chasteneth him with sicknesse, & bringeth him to his bed: he laieth sore punyshmēt vpō his bones, so that his life maye awaye with no bred, & his soule abhorreth to eate eny ⟨illegible⟩ meate: In so moch, that his body is clene consumed awaye, & his bones appeare no more. His soule draweth on to destruccion, & his life to death. Now yf there be an ⟨illegible⟩ (one amonge a thousande) sent for to speake vnto mā, and to shewe him the right waye: ⟨illegible⟩ the LORDE is mercifull vnto him, ⟨illegible⟩ He shalbe delyuered, ⟨illegible⟩ he fall not downe to destruccion, for I am sufficiently ⟨illegible⟩ Than his flesh (which hath bene in misery & trouble) shalbe, as it was in his youth. For yf he submitte himself vnto God, he is gracious, & sheweth him his countenaunce ioyfully, rewardeth man for his rightuousnes. Soch a respecte hath he vnto ⟨illegible⟩ Therfore let a man ⟨illegible⟩ & saye:) I offended, but he hath chastened & refourmed ⟨illegible⟩ I dyd vnrightuously, neuerthelesse he hath not recōpensed ⟨illegible⟩ therafter. Yee he hath delyuered my soule from destruccion, & my life, that it seyth yᵉ light. Lo, thus worketh God all waie with mā, that he kepeth his soule from ⟨illegible⟩ & ⟨illegible⟩ him enioye the light of yᵉ lyuinge. Marke well (O Iob) & heare me: holde ⟨illegible⟩ still, vntill I haue spoken. But yf thou hast eny thinge to saye, then answere me and speake, for ⟨illegible⟩ answere pleaseth ⟨illegible⟩ Yf thou hast nothinge, then heare me, and holde thy tonge, so shal I teach ⟨illegible⟩ wyszdome.

Chapter 34

⟨illegible⟩ proceaded forth in his ⟨illegible⟩ & sayde: Heare my wordes (O ye wyse men) herken vnto ⟨illegible⟩ ye ⟨illegible⟩ haue vnderstondinge. For like as the mouth ⟨illegible⟩ the meates, so the eare proueth & discerneth the wordes. As for the iudgmēt, let vs seke it out amonge oure selues, ⟨illegible⟩ we maye knowe what is right. And why? Iob hath sayde: I am rightuous, but God doth ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ I must nedes be a lyar, though my cause be right: & ⟨illegible⟩ am I plaged, where as I made no fawte. where is there soch one as Iob, ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ vp ⟨illegible⟩ like water? which goeth in yᵉ company of wicked doers, & walketh with vngodly ⟨illegible⟩ For he saieth: Though a mā be good, yet is he naught before God. Therfore herkē vnto ⟨illegible⟩ ye ⟨illegible⟩ haue vnderstondinge.⟧ [B] Farre be it from God, that he shulde medle with wickednesse: and farre be it from the Allmightie, yᵗ he shulde medle with vnrightuous dealynge: but he rewardeth the workes of man,⁽¹⁾ and causeth euery man to fynde acordinge to his wayes. For sure it is, that God cōdemneth no man wrongeously, and the iudgmēt of the Allmightie is not vnrightuous. Who ruleth the earth in his steade? Or, whom hath he set to gouerne the whole worlde? To whom hath he geuen his herte, for to drawe his sprete and breth vnto him? All flesh shal come together vnto naught,⁽²⁾ & all mē shal turne agayne vnto earth. Yf thou now haue vnderstōdinge, heare what I saye and herken to the voyce of my wordes.

Maye he be made whole, that loueth no right? Yf thou were a very innocent man, shuldest thou then be punyshed? For he is euen the same, yᵗ knoweth the rebellious kynges, & sayeth to princes: Vngodly men are ye He hath no respecte vnto the personnes of yᵉ lordly, & regardeth not the rich more thē poore. For they be all the worke of his hondes. [C] In the twincklinge off an eye shall they be slayne: and at mydnight, when the people & the tyrauntes rage, then shal they perish, ād be taken awaye with out hondes. And why⟨illegible⟩ his eyes loke vpon the wayes of man,⁽³⁾ and he seyth all his goinges. There is no darcknes ner thicke shadowe, yᵗ can hyde the wicked doers from him. For no mā shalbe suffred to go into iudgment with God.

⁽⁴⁾Many one, yee innumerable doth he punyshe and setteth other in their steades. For he knoweth their euell & darcke workes, therfore shal they be destroyed. They that were in yᵉ steade of Seers, dealt like vngodly mē. Therfore turned they back traytorously and vnfaithfully frō hī, & wolde not receaue his wayes. In so moch that they haue caused yᵉ voyce of the poore to come vnto him, & now he heareth the cōplaynte of soch as are in necessite. Yf he delyuer & graunte pardō, who will iudge or condemne? But yf he hyde awaye his countenaunce, who wil turne it aboute agayne, whether it be to the people or to eny man? For the wickednesse & synne of yᵉ [D] people, he maketh an ypocrite to reigne ouer thē. For so moch then as I haue begonne to talke of God, I wil not hyndre the. Yf I haue gone amysse, enfourme me: yf I haue done wronge, I wil leaue of. Wilt thou not geue a reasonable answere? Art thou afrayed of eny thinge, seynge thou begānest first to speake, & not I? For els the men of vnderstōdinge & wisdome that haue herde me, might saye: What cāst thou speake? As for Iob he hath nether spoken to the purpose ner wysely. O father, let Iob be well tryed, because he he hath turned himself to yᵉ wicked: yee aboue his synnes he hath blasphemed, which offence he hath done euen before vs, in yᵗ he stryueth agaynst God with his wordes.

Notes to Chapter 34

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽³⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁴⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 35

ELiu spake morouer, and sayde: Thinkest [A] thou it right that thou sayest: I am rightuous before God? Seinge thou sayest so, how doest thou knowe it? What thinge hast thou more excellēt, thē I yᵗ am a synner? Therfore will I geue answere vnto the & thy frendes: loke vnto the heauē, & beholde it: cōsidre yᵉ cloudes, how they are hyer then thou. Yf thou synnest, what dost thou vnto him? Yf thine offences be many, how gettest thou his fauoure? Yf thou be rightuous, what geuest thou him? Or, what receaueth he of thy handes?⁽¹⁾ Of soch an vngodly personne as thou, & of yᵉ sonne of man that is rightuous as thou pretendest to be: there is a greate crie & cōplaynte made by thē that are oppressed with violence, yee euery man complayneth vpon the cruell arme of tyrauntes. For soch one neuer sayeth: Where is God that made me? ād yᵗ shyneth [B] vpon vs, that we might prayse him in the night? Which geueth vs more vnderstōdinge then he doth the beastes of the earth, and teacheth vs more then the foules off heauē.

Yf eny soch complayne, no mā geueth answere, and yᵗ because of the wickednesse off proude tyrauntes. But yf a man call vpon God, doth not he heare him? Doth not the Almightie accepte his crie? Whā thou speakest then, shulde not he pardon the, yff thou open thy self before him, and put thy trust in him? Then vseth he no violence in his wrath nether hath he pleasure in curious and depe inquisicions. Therfore hath Iob opened his mouth but in vayne, ād folishly hath he made so many wordes.

Notes to Chapter 35

⁽¹⁾ Psal. ⟨illegible⟩9. b Heb. 10. a Psal. 49. ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 36

ELiu proceaded forth in his talkinge, & sayde: holde the still a litle, and I [A] shal shewe the, what I haue yet to speake on Gods behalfe. I wil open vnto yᵉ yet more of myne vnderstondinge, and proue my maker rightuous. True are my wordes, & no lye: and the knowlege wherwithall I argue agaynst the, is perfecte. Beholde, God casteth not awaye yᵉ mightie, for he himselff is mightie in power and wisdome.

As for the vngodly, he preserueth thē not but helpeth the poore to their right.⁽¹⁾ He turneth not his eyes awaye from the rightuous he setteth vp kynges in their Trone, and cōfirmeth them, so that they allwaye syt therin. But yf they be layed in preson and cheynes, or bounde with the bondes of pouerte: then sheweth he them their workes ād dedes and the synnes wherwᵗ they haue vsed cruell violence.

[B] He with punyshinge and nurturinge off them, rowneth them in the eares, warneth them to leaue of from their wickednesse, and to amende. Yf they now will take hede and be obedient, they shall weere out their dayes in prosperite,⁽²⁾ and their yeares in pleasure ād ioye. But yff they will not obeye, they shall go thorow the swearde, & perish or euer they be awarre. As for soch as be fayned, dyssemblers and ypocrytes, they heape vp wrath for them selues: for they call not vpon him, though they be his presoners. Thus their soule perisheth in foolishnesse, and their lyfe wᵗ yᵉ condēned. The poore delyuereth he out of his straytnesse, and comforteth soch as be in necessite and trouble. Euen so shall he kepe the (yf thou wilt be content) from the bottomlesse pytte that is beneth: & yf thou wilt holde the quyete, he shal fyll thy table with plenteousnesse.

Neuerthelesse, thou hast condemned the [C] iudgment of the vngodly, yee euen soch a iudgment and sentence shalt thou suffre. For then shal not thy cause be stilled with crueltie, ner pacified with many giftes. Hath God ordened then, that the glorious life off the & all soch mightie men shulde not be put downe? Prolonge not thou the tyme, till there come a night for the, to set other people in thy steade. But bewarre that thou turne not asyde to wickednesse and synne, which hyther to thou hast chosen more then mekenesse. Beholde, God is of a mightie hye power: Where is there soch a gyde and lawegeuer as he? Who wil reproue him of his waye? who wil saye vnto him: thou hast done wronge?

[D] O considre how greate and excellent his workes be, whom all men loaue and prayse: yee wondre at him, and yet they se him but afarre of. Beholde, so greate is God, that he passeth oure knowlege, nether are we able to come to yᵉ experiēce of his yeares. He turneth yᵉ water to smal droppes, he dryueth his cloudes together for to rayne, so that they poure downe and droppe vpon men.⁽³⁾ He can sprede out the cloudes (a couerynge off his tabernacle) and cause his light to shyne vpō them, and to couer the botome of the see. By these thinges gouerneth he his people, and geueth thē abundaunce of meate. In yᵉ turnynge of a hande he hydeth the light, & at his commaundement it commeth agayne. The rysinge vp therof sheweth he to his frendes and to the catell.

Notes to Chapter 36

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩sal. 31. b ⟨illegible⟩ Re. 7. c ⟨illegible⟩. Re. 10. c Par. 33. c

⁽²⁾ Esa. 1. c

⁽³⁾ Deu. 11. c 28. d

Chapter 37

AT this my hert is astonnied, and moued [A] out of his place. Heare then the sounde of his voyce, and the noyse yᵗ goeth out of his mouth. He gouerneth euery thinge vnder the heauen, and his light reacheth vnto the ende of the worlde. A roaringe voyce foloweth him: for his glorious magesty geueth soch a thondre clappe, that (though a man heare it) yet maye he not perceaue it afterwarde. It geueth an horrible sownde, when God sendeth out his voyce: greate thinges doth he, which we can not cōprehende. When he commaundeth the snowe, it falleth vpon the earth:⁽¹⁾ As soone as he geueth the rayne a charge, Immediatly the showers haue their strength and fall downe He sendeth feare vpon euery man, that they might knowe their owne workes. The beestes crepe in to their dennes, & take their rest. Out of the south commeth the tempest, and colde out of the north.

At the breth of God, the frost commeth, & [B] the waters are shed abrode. The cloudes do their laboure in geuynge moystnesse, the cloudes poure downe their rayne. He distributeth also on euery syde, acordinge as it pleaseth him to deale out his workes, that they maye do, what so euer he, commaundeth thē thorow the whole worlde: whether it be to punysh eny londe, or to do good vnto them, that seke him.

Herken vnto this (o Iob) stonde still, and considre the wonderous workes of God. Art thou of coūcel with God, when he doth these thinges? When he causeth the light to come forth of his cloudes? Art thou of his coūcell, when he spredeth out the cloudes? Hast thou the perfecte knowlege of his wonders? and how thy clothes are warme, whē the lōde is still thorow the south wynde? hast thou helped him to spred out the heauen, which is to loke vpō, as it were cast of cleare metall?[C] Teach vs what we shal saye vnto hī, for we are vnmete because of darcknes. Shal it be tolde him, what I saye? Shulde a man speake, or shulde he kepe it backe? For euery mā seith not the light, yᵗ he kepeth cleare in the cloudes, which he clenseth whan he maketh the wynde to blowe. Golde is brought out of the north, but the prayse and honoure off Gods feare commeth frō God himself. It is not we that can fynde out the allmightie: for in power, equite and rigtuousnesse he is hyer then can be expressed. Seinge then that euery body feareth him, why shulde not all wyse men also stōde in feare of hī?

Notes to Chapter 37

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 38

Chap. XXXVIII.

[A] THen spake the LORDE vnto Iob out of the storme,⁽¹⁾ and sayde: what is he, that hydeth his mynde with foolysh wordes? Gyrde vp thy loynes like a mā, for I will question the se thou geue me a dyrecte answere. Where wast thou, when I layed yᵉ foundacions of the earth? Tell planely yff thou hast vnderstondinge. Who hath measured it, knowest thou? Or, who hath spred yᵉ lyne vpon it? Where vpon stōde the pilers of it?⁽²⁾ Or, who layed yᵉ corner stone? where wast thou when the mornynge starres gaue me prayse, ād when all the angels of God reioysed?⁽³⁾ Who shutt the see with dores, when it brake forth as a childe out off his mothers wombe? When I made the cloudes to be a coueringe for it, and swedled it with yᵉ darcke?⁽⁴⁾ when I gaue it my cōmaundement, makynge dores & barres for it, sayenge: Hither to shalt thou come, but no further, and here [B] shalt thou laye downe thy proude and hye wawes. Hast thou geuē the mornynge his charge (as soone as thou wast borne) and shewed the dayespringe his place, yᵗ it might take holde of the corners of the earth, & yᵗ the vngodly might be shakē out? Their tokēs & weapēs hast thou turned like claye, & set thē vp agayne as the chaunginge of a garment. Yee thou hast spoyled the vngodly off their light, & brokē the arme of the proude. Camest thou euer in to the groūde of the see, Or, hast thou walked in yᵉ lowe corners of yᵉ depe? Haue the gates of death bene opened vnto the or hast thou sene the dore of euerlastīge treasure? Hast thou also perceaued, how brode yᵉ earth is? Now yf thou hast knowlege of all, thē shewe me where light dwelleth, and where darcknes is: yᵗ thou mayest bringe vs vnto their quarters, yf thou cāst tell the waye to their houses. Knewest thou (when thou wast borne) how olde thou shuldest be?

[C] Wentest thou euer in to the treasuries off the snowe,⁽⁵⁾ or hast thou sene yᵉ secrete places of the hale: which I haue prepared agaynst the tyme of trouble, agaynst the tyme of batell & warre? By what waye is the light parted, & the heate dealt out vpon earth? Who deuydeth the abundaūce of waters in to ryuers, or who maketh a waye for the stormy wether, yᵗ it watereth & moystureth yᵉ drye & baren grounde: to make the grasse growe in places where no body dwelleth, & in the wildernes where no mā remayneth? Who is the father of rayne? Or, who hath begotten the droppes of dew? Out of whose wōbe came the yse? who hath gendred the coldnes of yᵉ ayre? yᵗ the waters are as harde as stones, & lye congeeled aboue the depe. Hast thou brought yᵉ vij. starres together? Or, art thou able to breake the Circle of heauē? Cāst thou bringe forth the mornynge starre or the euenynge [D] starre at cōuenient tyme, & cōueye thē home agayne? Knowest thou the course off heauē, yᵗ thou mayest set vp the ordinaunce therof vpō earth? Morouer, cāst thou lift vp thy voyce to yᵉ cloudes, yᵗ they maye poure downe a greate rayne vpō the? Canst thou thōdre also yᵗ they maye go their waye, & be obediēt vnto the, sayēge: lo, here are we? Who geueth sure wisdome, or stedfast vnderstōdinge? who nombreth the cloudes in wisdome? who stilleth yᵉ vehement waters of the heauē? who turneth the clottes to dust, & thē to be clottes agayne? Huntest thou the praye frō the Lyon, or fedest thou his whelpes lyēge in their dēnes & lurkinge in their couches? who prouydeth meate for the rauen,⁽⁶⁾ whē his yonge ones crie vnto God, ād fle aboute for want of meate?

Notes to Chapter 38

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽³⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁴⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁵⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁶⁾ Psa. 14⟨illegible⟩. ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 39

Chap. XXXIX.

KNowest thou the tyme when the wilde [A] gotes brīge forth their yōge amōge the stony rockes? Or layest thou wayte when the hindes vse to fawne? Rekenest thou the moneth as after they ingendre, yᵗ thou knowest the tyme of their bearinge? Or when they lye downe, when they cast their yonge ones, & when they are delyuered off their trauayle & payne? How their yōge ones growe vp & waxe greate thorow good fedinge? who letteth the wilde asse go fre, or who lowseth the bōdes of the Moole? Vnto whō I haue geuen the wyldernes to be their house, & the vntilled londe to be their dwellinge place. That they maye geue no force for the multitude off people in the cities, nether to regarde the crienge of the dryuer: but to seke their pasture aboute the moūtaynes, & to folowe vpon the grene grasse. Wyll the vnicorne [B] be so tame as to do yᵉ seruyce, or to abyde still by thy cri⟨illegible⟩be? Cāst thou bynde yᵉ yock aboute him in thy forowes, to make him plowe after the in yᵉ valleis? Mayest thou trust hī (because he is strōge) or cōmitte thy laboʳ vnto hī? Mayest thou beleue hī, yᵗ he wil brīge home yᵉ corne, or to cary eny thinge vnto yᵉ barne? The Estrich (whose fethers are fayrer thē yᵉ wynges of the sparow hauke) whē he hath layed his egges vpon the grounde, he bredeth them in the dust, and forgetteth them: so that they might be troden with fete, or broken with somme wilde beast.

So harde is he vnto his yong ones, as though they were not his, and laboureth in vayne without eny feare. And that because God hath taken wisdome from him, & hath not geuen him vnderstondinge. When his tyme is, he flyeth vp an hye, and careth nether for horse ner man.

[C] Hast thou geuen the horse is strength, or lerned him to bowe downe his neck with feare: that he letteth him self be dryuen forth like a greshopper, where as the stoute neyenge that he maketh, is fearfull? he breaketh yᵉ grounde with the hoffes of his fete chearfully in his strength, and runneth to mete the harnest men. He layeth asyde all feare, his stomack is not abated, nether starteth he a back for eny swerde. Though the quyuers rattle vpon him, though the speare and shilde glistre: yet russheth he in fearsly, and beateth vpon the grounde. He feareth not the noyse of the trompettes, but as soone as he heareth the shawmes blowe, tush (sayeth he) for he smelleth the batell afarre of, yᵉ noyse, the captaynes and the shoutinge.

[D] Commeth it thorow thy wysdome, that the goshauke flyeth towarde the south? Doth the Aegle mounte vp & make his nest on hye at thy commaundement? He abydeth in the stony rockes, ād vpon the hye toppes of harde mountaynes, where no man can come. From thence maye he beholde his praye, and loke farre aboute with his eyes. His yonge ones are fed with bloude,⁽¹⁾ and where eny deed body lyeth, there is he immediatly.

Morouer, God spake vnto Iob and sayde: Can he that stryueth with the Allmightie, be at rest? Shulde not he which disputeth with God, geue him an answere? Iob answered the LORDE, sayenge: Beholde, I am to vyle a personne, to answere the, therfore will I laye my hande vpon my mouth. Once or twyse haue I spoken, but I will saye nomore.

Notes to Chapter 39

⁽¹⁾ Mat. 24. c

Chapter 40

THen spake the LORDE vnto Iob out [A] of the storme, and sayde: gyrde vp yᵉ loynes like a man,⁽¹⁾ and tell me the thīge that I will axe the. Wilt thou disanulle my iudgment? Or, wilt thou condemne me, yᵗ thou thy self mayest be made rightuous? Is thine arme then like the arme of God? Maketh thy voyce soch a soūde as his doth? Then arme thy self with thine owne power, vp, decke the in thy ioly araye, poure out the indignacion of thy wrath: se that thou cast downe all yᵉ proude, loke well, that thou makest all soch as be stubburne, to obeye: treade all the vngodly vnder thy fete, cast thē downe in to the myre, and couer their faces with darcknesse: Then will I confesse also, that thyne owne right honde hath saued the.

Beholde, the cruell beaste (whom I made [B] wᵗ the) which eateth haye as an oxe: lo, how stronge he is in his loynes, and what power he hath in the nauell of his body. He spredeth out his tale like a Cedre tre, all his vaynes are stiff. His shynnes are like pipes off brasse, his rygge bones are like staues of yrō First when God made him, he ordened the wyldernesse for him, yᵗ the mountaynes shulde geue him grasse, where all the beastes off the felde take their pastyme. He lyeth amōge the redes in the Mosses, the fennes hyde him with their shadowe, and the wylowes of the broke couer him rounde aboute. Lo, without eny laboure might he drynke out the whole floude, and suppe off Iordane without eny trauayle. Who darre laye honde vpon him openly, and vndertake to catch him? Or, who darre put an hoke thorow his nose, ād laye a snare for him?

Darrest thou drawe out Leuiathan with [C] an angle, or bynde his tonge with a snare?⁽²⁾ Canst thou put a rynge in the nose of him, or bore his chaftes thorow with a naule? Wyll he make many fayre wordes with the (thynkest thou) or flatre the? Wyll he make a couenaunt with the? Or, art thou able for to compell him to do the contynuall seruyce? Wilt thou take thy pastyne wᵗ him as with a byrde, or geue him vnto thy maydens, that thy companyons maye hew him in peces, to be parted amonge the marchaunt men? Canst thou fyll the nett wᵗ his skynne, or yᵉ fysh pānyer with his heade? Darrest thou laye honde vpon him? It is better for the to considre what harme might happē the there thorow and not to touch him. For when thou thynkest to haue holde vpon him, he shall begyle the: Euery man also that seyth him, shall go backe. And why? there darre none be so bolde, as to rayse him vp.

Notes to Chapter 40

⁽¹⁾ Iob. 38, a

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 41

WHo is able to stonde before me? Or,[A] who hath geuen me eny thynge afore hande,⁽¹⁾ that I am bounde to rewarde him agayne? All thinges vnder heauen are myne. I feare him not, whether he threaten or speake fayre. Who lifteth him vp and stripeth him out of his clothes, or who taketh him by the bytt of his brydle? Who openeth the dore of his face? for he hath horrible tethe rounde aboute. His body is couered with scales as it were with shyldes, lockte in, kepte, and well cōpacte together. One is so ioyned to another, that no ayre can come in: Yee one hangeth so vpon another, and sticke so together, that they can not be sundered. His nesinge is like a glisteringe fyre, and his eyes like the mornynge shyne. Out of his mouth go torches and fyre brandes, out off [B] his nostrels there goeth a smoke, like as out off an hote seetinge pott. His breth maketh the coales burne, the flame goeth out of his mouth. In his necke remayneth strength, and before his face sorowe is turned to gladnesse. The membres of his body are ioyned so strayte one to another, and cleue so fast together, that he can not be moued.

His hert is as harde as a stone, ād as fast as the styth ye that the hammer man smyteth vpon. When he goeth: the mightiest off all are afrayed, and the wawes heuy. Yff he drawe out the swearde, there maye nether [C] speare ner brest plate abyde him. He setteth as moch by a strawe as by yrō, and as moch by a rotten stocke as by metall. He starteth not awaye for him that bendeth the bowe, & as for slynge stones, he careth as moch for stubble as for them. He counteth the hammer no better then a strawe, he laugheth him to scorne that shaketh the speare. He treadeth the golde in the myre like yᵉ sharpe potsherdes. He maketh the depe to seeth and boyle like a pott, and stereth the see together like an oyntment. The waye is light after him, the depe is his walkynge place. Vpon earth is there no power like vnto his, for he is so made, that he feareth not. Yff a man will cōsidre all hye thinges, this same is a kynge ouer all the children off pryde.

Notes to Chapter 41

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

Chapter 42

[A] THē Iob answered the LORDE, and sayde: I knowe that thou hast power of all thinges,⁽¹⁾ and that there is no thought hyd vnto the. For who can kepe his owne councell so secrete, but it shall be knowne? Therfore haue I spoken vnwysely, seynge these thinges are so hye, and passe myne vnderstondinge. O herken thou vnto me also, and let me speake: answere me vnto the thinge that I will axe the. I haue geuen diligent eare vnto the, and now I se yᵉ with myne eyes. Wherfore I geue myne owne self yᵉ blame, and take repentaunce in the dust and asshes.

Now whē the LORDE had spoken these wordes vnto Iob, he sayde vnto Eliphas yᵉ Themanite: I am displeased with the & thy two frendes, for ye haue not spoken the thinge yᵗ is right before me, like as my seruaunt Iob hath done. Therfore take vij. oxen and seuen rammes, and go to my seruaunt Iob offre vp also for youre selues a brent offe⟨illegible⟩ge, and lat my seruaunt Iob praye for you Him will I accepte, and not deale with you after youre foolishnesse: in that ye haue not spokē yᵉ thinge which is right, like as my seruaunt Iob hath done.

So Eliphas the Themanite, Bald ⟨illegible⟩ Suhite and Sophar the Naamathite wēte their waye, and did acordynge as the LORDE commaunded them. The LORDE also accepted the personne off Iob, and the LOR⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩ turned him vnto Iob, whē he prayed for his frendes: Yee the LORDE gaue Iob twyse as moch as he had afore.

And thē came there vnto him all his ⟨illegible⟩ thren, all his sisters with all them that had bene off his acquātaūce afore, and ate bred with him in his house, wondringe at him, ād ⟨illegible⟩ comfortinge him ouer all the trouble, that the LORDE had brought vpon him. ⟨illegible⟩ mā gaue him a shepe and a Iewell of ⟨illegible⟩

And the LORDE made Iob richer then he was before: for he had xiiij.M. shepe, vi. ⟨illegible⟩ camels, a M. yock oxē, and a M. asses. He had children also: vij. sonnes and iij. dough⟨illegible⟩ters. The first he called Daye, the seconde ⟨illegible⟩ pouerte: the thirde, All plenteousnes. In the londe were none founde so fayre, as the doughters of Iob, & their father gaue them enheritaunce amonge their brethren. After this lyued Iob xl. yeares, so that he sawe his children, & his childers children vnto the fourth generacion. And so he dyed, beinge olde & of a perfecte age.

Notes to Chapter 42

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

The ende of the boke of Io⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩

Colophon

This page is an archival transcription of the printed text, not a Good Works Translation. Source: Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe (M.D.XXXV; STC 2063.3), translated by Myles Coverdale, the copy in Cambridge University Library, keyed and encoded by the Text Creation Partnership (EEBO-TCP Phase I, text A10349, 2005) and released under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 public-domain dedication.

46 places illegible in the Cambridge copy were filled from Samuel Bagster’s 1838 page-for-page reprint of the edition (archive.org, holyscriptures00cove), only where the reprint’s reading is certain; each fill is listed on this room’s Supplied Readings page; 136 places are still marked ⟨illegible⟩ (22 in the text, 114 in the marginal notes); the supplied passage contains 116 words the reprint’s OCR does not give with certainty, marked ⟨illegible⟩.

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