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[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.
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