Read the Bible

¹ Also Helyu addide, and spak these thingis,² Suffre thou me a litil, and Y schal schewe to thee; for yit Y haue that, that Y schal speke for God.³ Y schal reherse my kunnyng fro the bigynnyng; and Y schal preue my worchere iust.⁴ For verili my wordis ben with out leesyng, and perfit kunnyng schal be preued to thee.

⁵ God castith not awei myyti men, sithen he is myyti;⁶ but he saueth not wickid men, and he yyueth dom to pore men.⁷ He takith not awei hise iyen fro a iust man; and he settith kyngis in seete with out ende, and thei ben reisid there.⁸ And if thei ben in chaynes, and ben boundun with the roopis of pouert,⁹ he schal shewe to hem her werkis, and her grete trespassis; for thei weren violent, `ethir rauenours.<sup>10</sup> Also he schal opene her eere, that he chastise; and he schal speke, that thei turne ayen fro wickidnesse.<sup>11</sup> If thei heren, and kepen, thei schulen fille her daies in good, and her yeris in glorie.<sup>12</sup> Sotheli if thei heren not, thei schulen passe bi swerd, and thei schulen be wastid in foli.<sup>13</sup> Feyneris and false men stiren the ire of God; and thei schulen not crye, whanne thei ben boundun.<sup>14</sup> The soule of hem schal die in tempest; and the lijf of hem among `men of wymmens condiciouns.

¹⁵ He schal delyuere a pore man fro his angwisch; and he schal opene `the eere of hym in tribulacioun.¹⁶ Therfor he schal saue thee fro the streit mouth of the broddeste tribulacioun, and not hauynge a foundement vndur it; sotheli the rest of thi table schal be ful of fatnesse.¹⁷ Thi cause is demed as the cause of a wickid man; forsothe thou schalt resseyue thi cause and doom.¹⁸ Therfor ire ouercome thee not, that thou oppresse ony man; and the multitude of yiftis bowe thee not.¹⁹ Putte doun thi greetnesse with out tribulacioun, and putte doun alle stronge men bi strengthe.²⁰ Dilaie thou not nyyt, that puplis stie for hem.²¹ Be thou war, that thou bowe not to wickidnesse; for thou hast bigunne to sue this wickidnesse aftir wretchidnesse.²² Lo! God is hiy in his strengthe, and noon is lijk hym among the yyueris of lawe.²³ Who mai seke out the weies of God? ethir who dar seie to hym, Thou hast wrouyt wickidnesse?

²⁴ Haue thou mynde, that thou knowist not his werk, of whom men sungun.²⁵ Alle men seen God; ech man biholdith afer.²⁶ Lo! God is greet, ouercomynge oure kunnyng; the noumbre of hise yeeris is with out noumbre.²⁷ Which takith awei the dropis of reyn; and schedith out reynes at the licnesse of floodyatis,²⁸ whiche comen doun of the cloudis, that hilen alle thingis aboue.²⁹ If he wole stretche forthe cloudis as his tente,³⁰ and leite with his liyt fro aboue, he schal hile, yhe,³¹ the herris of the see. For bi these thingis he demeth puplis, and yyueth mete to many deedli men.³² In hondis he hidith liyt; and comaundith it, that it come eft.³³ He tellith of it to his freend, that it is his possessioun; and that he may stie to it.