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¹ Wherfore, heare my wordes (O Iob) & herken vnto all, that I wyll saye:² Beholde, I wil open my mouth, & my tonge shal speake out of my chawes.³ My hert shall ordre my wordes a right, & my lyppes shal talke of pure wy?dome.⁴ The sprete of God hath made me, & the breth of the Allmightie hath geue me my life.⁵ Yf thou cast, then geue me answere: prepare thy self to stode before me face to face.⁶ Beholde, before God am I euen as thou, for I am fashioned and made eue of the same moulde.⁷ Therfore, thou nedest not be afrayed of me, nether nedest thou to feare, that my auctorite shal be to heuy for the.

⁸ Now hast thou spoken in myne eares, & I haue herde ye voyce of thy wordes:⁹ I am clene without eny fawte, I am innocent, & there is no wickednesse in me.¹⁰ But lo, he hath pyked a quarell agaynst me, & taketh me for his enemy:¹¹ he hath put my fote in the stockes, & loketh narowly vnto all my pathes.¹² Beholde, vnto these vnreasonable wordes of thyne wil I make answere. Shulde God be reproued of man?¹³ Why doest thou then stryue agaynst him, because he geueth the no accomptes of all his doinges?

¹⁴ For whe God doth once commaunde a thinge, there shulde no man be curious, to search whether it be right.¹⁵ In dreames and visions of the night season (when slombrynge cometh vpo me, that they fall a slepe in their beddes)¹⁶ he rowneth them in the eares, he infourmeth them, & sheweth the planely,¹⁷ that it is he, which withdraweth man from euell, delyuereth him from pryde,¹⁸ kepeth his soule from destruccion, & his life from ye swearde.

¹⁹ he chasteneth him with sicknesse, & bringeth him to his bed: he laieth sore punyshmet vpo his bones,²⁰ so that his life maye awaye wt no bred, & his soule abhorreth to eate eny dayntie meate:²¹ In so moch, that his body is clene consumed awaye, & his bones appeare nomore.²² His soule draweth on to destruccion, & his life to death.²³ Now yf there be an angel (one amonge a thousande) sent for to speake vnto ma, and to shewe him the right waye:²⁴ the the LORDE is mercifull vnto him, & sayeth: He shalbe delyuered, yt he fall not downe to destruccion, for I am sufficiently recociled.²⁵ Than his flesh (which hath bene in misery & trouble) shalbe, as it was in his youth.²⁶ For yf he submitte himself vnto God, he is gracious, & sheweth him his countenaunce ioyfully, & rewardeth man for his rightuousnes.²⁷ Soch a respecte hath he vnto me. Therfore let a man cofesse, (& saye:) I offended, but he hath chastened & refourmed me: I dyd vnrightuously, neuerthelesse he hath not recopensed me therafter.²⁸ Yee he hath delyuered my soule from destruccion, & my life, that it seyth ye light.

²⁹ Lo, thus worketh God allwaie with ma,³⁰ that he kepeth his soule from perishinge, & latteth him enioye the light of ye lyuinge.³¹ Marke well (O Iob) & heare me: holde the still, vntill I haue spoken.³² But yf thou hast eny thinge to saye, then answere me and speake, for thy answere pleaseth me.³³ Yf thou hast nothinge, then heare me, and holde thy tonge, so shal I teach the wy?dome.