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[1]Forsothe the Lord answeride to Joob fro the whirlewynd,
[2]and seide, Girde thou as a man thi leendis, and Y schal axe thee, and schewe thou to me.
[3]Whether thou schalt make voide my doom, and schalt condempne me, that thou be maad iust?
[4]And if thou hast an arm, as God hath, and if thou thundrist with lijk vois, `take thou fairnesse aboute thee,
[5]and be thou reisid an hiy, and be thou gloriouse, and be thou clothid `in faire clothis.
[6]Distrie thou proude men in thi woodnesse, and biholde thou, and make lowe ech bostere.
[7]Biholde thou alle proude men, and schende thou hem; and al to-breke thou wickid men in her place.
[8]Hide thou hem in dust togidere, and drenche doun her faces in to a diche.
[9]And Y schal knowleche, that thi riyt hond may saue thee.
[10]Lo! behemot, whom Y made with thee, schal as an oxe ete hey.
[11]His strengthe is in hise leendis, and his vertu is in the nawle of his wombe.
[12]He streyneth his tail as a cedre; the senewis of his `stones of gendrure ben foldid togidere.
[13]Hise boonys ben as the pipis of bras; the gristil of hym is as platis of yrun.
[14]He is the bigynnyng of the weies of God; he, that made hym, schal sette his swerd to hym.
[15]Hillis beren eerbis to this behemot; alle the beestis of the feeld pleien there.
[16]He slepith vndur schadewe, in the pryuete of rehed, in moiste places.
[17]Schadewis hilen his schadewe; the salewis of the ryuer cumpassen hym.
[18]He schal soupe vp the flood, and he schal not wondre; he hath trist, that Jordan schal flowe in to his mouth.
[19]He schal take hem bi `the iyen of hym, as bi an hook; and bi scharpe schaftis he schal perse hise nosethirlis.
[20]Whether thou schalt mowe drawe out leuyathan with an hook, and schalt bynde with a roop his tunge?
[21]Whethir thou schalt putte a ryng in hise nosethirlis, ethir schalt perse hyse cheke with `an hook?
[22]Whether he schal multiplie preieris to thee, ether schal speke softe thingis to thee?
[23]Whether he schal make couenaunt with thee, and `thou schalt take him a seruaunt euerlastinge?
[24]Whether thou schalt scorne hym as a brid, ethir schalt bynde hym to thin handmaidis?
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