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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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