1 Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

18 Wise men knoulechen, and hiden not her fadris.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

27 Fatnesse, that is, pride `comyng forth of temporal aboundaunce, hilide his face, `that is, the knowyng of vndurstondyng, and outward fatnesse hangith doun of his sidis.

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

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

30 nether he schal go awei fro derknessis. Flawme schal make drie hise braunchis, and he schal be takun a wey bi the spirit of his mouth.

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

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

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

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

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