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[1] Sotheli Baldath Suytes answeride, and seide,
[2] Hou longe schalt thou speke siche thingis? The spirit of the word of thi mouth is manyfold.
[3] Whether God supplauntith, `ethir disseyueth, doom, and whether Almyyti God distrieth that, that is iust?
[4] Yhe, thouy thi sones synneden ayens hym, and he lefte hem in the hond of her wickidnesse;
[5] netheles, if thou risist eerli to God, and bisechist `Almyyti God, if thou goist clene and riytful,
[6] anoon he schal wake fulli to thee, and schal make pesible the dwellyng place of thi ryytfulnesse;
[7] in so miche that thi formere thingis weren litil, and that thi laste thingis be multiplied greetli.
[8] For whi, axe thou the formere generacioun, and seke thou diligentli the mynde of fadris. For we ben men of yistirdai, and `kunnen not; for oure daies ben as schadewe on the erthe.
[9] [No verse.]
[10] And thei schulen teche thee, thei schulen speke to thee, and of her herte thei schulen bring forth spechis.
[11] Whether a rusche may lyue with out moysture? ethir a spier `may wexe with out watir?
[12] Whanne it is yit in the flour, nethir is takun with hond, it wexeth drie bifor alle erbis.
[13] So the weies of alle men, that foryeten God; and the hope of an ypocrite schal perische.
[14] His cowardise schal not plese hym, and his trist schal be as a web of yreyns.
[15] He schal leene, `ether reste, on his hows, and it schal not stonde; he schal vndursette it, and it schal not rise togidere.
[16] The rusche semeth moist, bifor that the sunne come; and in the risyng of the sunne the seed therof schal go out.
[17] Rootis therof schulen be maad thicke on an heep of stoonys, and it schal dwelle among stoonys.
[18] If a man drawith it out of `his place, his place schal denye it, and schal seie, Y knowe thee not.
[19] For this is the gladnesse of his weie, that eft othere ruschis springe out of the erthe.
[20] Forsothe God schal not caste a wei a symple man, nethir schal dresse hond to wickid men;
[21] til thi mouth be fillid with leiytir, and thi lippis with hertli song.
[22] Thei that haten thee schulen be clothid with schenschip; and the tabernacle of wickid men schal not stonde.
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