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[1]Yt anoieth my soule of my lijf; Y schal lete my speche ayens me, Y schal speke in the bitternesse of my soule.
[2]Y schal seie to God, Nyle thou condempne me; schewe thou to me, whi thou demest me so.
[3]Whether it semeth good to thee, if thou `falsli chalengist and oppressist me, the werk of thin hondis; and if thou helpist the counsel of wickid men?
[4]Whethir fleischli iyen ben to thee, ethir, as a man seeth, also thou schalt se?
[5]Whether thi daies ben as the daies of man, and `thi yeeris ben as mannus tymes;
[6]that thou enquere my wickidnesse, and enserche my synne?
[7]And wite, that Y haue do no `wickid thing; sithen no man is, that may delyuere fro thin hond?
[8]Thin hondis han maad me, and han formed me al in cumpas; and thou castist me doun so sodeynli.
[9]Y preye, haue thou mynde, that thou madist me as cley, and schalt brynge me ayen in to dust.
[10]Whether thou hast not mylkid me as mylk, and hast cruddid me togidere as cheese?
[11]Thou clothidist me with skyn and fleisch; thou hast ioyned me togidere with boonys and senewis.
[12]Thou hast youe lijf and mercy to me, and thi visiting hath kept my spirit.
[13]Thouy thou helist these thingis in thin herte, netheles Y woot, that thou hast mynde of alle thingis.
[14]If Y dide synne, and thou sparidist me at an our; whi suffrist thou not me to be cleene of my wickidnesse?
[15]And if Y was wickid, wo is to me; and if Y was iust, Y fillid with turment and wretchidnesse `schal not reise the heed.
[16]And if Y reise `the heed for pride, thou schalt take me as a lionesse; and thou turnest ayen, and turmentist me wondirli.
[17]Thou gaderist in store thi witnessis ayens me, and thou multipliest thin yre, `that is, veniaunce, ayens me; and peynes holden knyythod in me.
[18]Whi hast thou led me out of the wombe? `And Y wolde, that Y were wastid, lest an iye `schulde se me.
[19]That Y hadde be, as if Y were not, and `were translatid, ethir borun ouer, fro the wombe to the sepulcre.
[20]Whether the fewnesse of my daies schal not be endid in schort? Therfor suffre thou me, that Y biweile `a litil my sorewe,
[21]bifor that Y go, and turne not ayen, to the derk lond, and hilid with the derknesse of deth, to the lond of wrecchidnesse and of derknessis;
[22]where is schadewe of deeth, and noon ordre, but euerlastynge hidousnesse dwellith.
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