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¹ Iob answered, and sayde:² I haue oft tymes herde soch thinges. Miserable geuers of comforte are ye, all the sorte of you.³ Shall not thy vayne wordes come yet to an ende? Or, hast thou yet eny more to saye?⁴ I coude speake, as ye do also. But wolde God, that youre soule were in my soules steade: then shulde I heape vp wordes agaynst you, and shake my heade at you.⁵ I shulde comforte you with my mouth, and release youre payne with ye talkinge of my lyppes.

⁶ But what shall I do? For all my wordes, my sorow wil not ceasse: and though I holde my toge, yet wil it not departe fro me.⁷ And now that I am full of payne, and all that I haue destroied⁸ (wherof my wryncles beare wytnesse) there stodeth vp a dyssembler to make me answere with lyes to my face.⁹ He is angrie at me, he hateth me, and gnassheth vpon me with his teth. Myne enemy skouleth vpon me with his eyes.¹⁰ They haue opened their mouthes wyde vpon me, and smytten me vpon the cheke despitefully, they haue eased the selues thorow myne aduersite.¹¹ God hath geuen me ouer to the vngodly, and delyuered me in to the hondes of ye wicked.¹² I was somtyme in wealth, but sodenly hath he brought me to naught. He hath taken me by the neck, he hath rente me, and set me, as it were a marck for him to shute at.¹³ He hath compased me rounde aboute with his dartes, he hath wounded my loynes, & not spared. My bowels hath he poured vpon the grounde.¹⁴ He hath geue me one wounde vpon another, and is falle vpon me like a giaunte.¹⁵ I haue sowed a sack cloth vpon my skynne, and lye with my strength in the dust.¹⁶ My face is swolle with wepinge, & myne eyes are waxen dymne.

¹⁷ Howbeit there is no wickednesse in my hondes, and my prayer is clene.¹⁸ O earth, couer not my bloude, and let my crienge fynde no rowme.¹⁹ For lo, my witnesse is in heauen, and he that knoweth me, is aboue in the heyth.²⁰ My frendes laugh me to scorne, but myne eye poureth out teares vnto God.²¹ Though a body might pleate wt God, as one man doth with another,²² yet the nombre of my yeares are come, & I must go the waye, from whence I shal not turne agayne.