Job Presents His Case

1So Iob aunswered, & saide:

2Then no doubt ye are the men alone, and wysdome shall perishe with you.

3But I haue vnderstanding aswell as ye, and am not inferior to you: Yea who knoweth not these thinges?

4I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth vpon God, & he heareth him: The iust & the vpright is laughed to scorne.

5Being as alight despised in the heartes of the riche, and as one redy to fall.

6The houses of robbers are in wealth and prosperitie, and they that maliciouslie meddle against God dwell without care, in those thinges that God hath geuen richely with his hande.

7Aske the cattaile, and they shall enfourme thee: the foules of the ayre, and they shall tell thee.

8Or the encrease of the earth, and it shall shew thee: or the fishes of the sea, and they shall certifie thee.

9What is he but he knoweth that the hande of the Lorde made all these?

10In whose hande is the soule of euery liuing thing, and the breath of all mankinde.

11Haue not the eares pleasure in hearing? and the mouth in tasting the thing that it eateth?

12Among olde persons there is wysedome, and in age is vnderstanding.

13Yea, with God is wysdome and strength, it is he that hath counsell and foreknowledge.

14Beholde if he breake downe a thing, who can set it vp againe? yf he shut a thing, who wyll open it?

15Beholde, if he withholde the waters, they drye vp: yf he let them go, they destroy the earth.

16With him is strength and wysdome: both the deceauer and he that is deceaued are his.

17He carieth away the wyse men as it were a spoyle, and bringeth the iudges out of their wittes.

18He taketh away the subiection of the people from their kinges, and girdeth their loynes with a bonde.

19He leadeth away the great men into captiuitie, and turneth the mightie vpside downe.

20He stoppeth the mouth of them that speake trueth, & disapoynteth the aged of their reason.

21He powreth contempt vpon princes, and maketh the strength of the mightie weake.

22Loke what lyeth hid in darkenesse he declareth it openly, and the very shadowe of death bringeth he to light.

23He both increaseth the people and destroyeth them, he maketh them to multiplie, and diminisheth them.

24He taketh away the hearte of them that be heades of ye people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in the wildernesse out of the way.

25They grope in the darke without light, and he maketh them to stacker like a drunken man.