Job’s Honor Turned to Contempt

1Bvt now they that are my inferiours & yonger then I, haue me in derision: yee eue they, whose fathers I wolde haue thought scorne to haue set wt the dogges of my catell.

2The power & stregth of their hades might do me no good, & as for their age, it is spet & past awaye without eny profit.

3For very misery & honger, they wente aboute in the wildernesse like wretches & beggers,

4pluckynge vp herbes from amonge the busshes, & the Iunipers rote was their meate.

5And when they were dryuen forth, men cried after them, as it had bene after a thefe.

6Their dwellinge was beside foule brokes, yee in the caues & dennes of the earth.

7Vpo the drye heeth wete they aboute crienge, & in the brome hilles they gathered them together.

8They were the children of fooles & vylanes, which are deed awaye fro the worlde.

9Now am I their songe, & am become their iestinge stocke.

10they abhorre me, they fle farre fro me & stayne my face wt spetle.

11For ye LORDE hath opened his quyuer, he hath hytt me, & put a brydle in my mouth.

12Vpon my right hade they rose together agaynst me, they haue hurte my fete, made awaye to destroye me,

13& my path haue they clene marred. It was so easy for them to do me harme, that they neded no man to helpe the.

14They fell vpon me, as it had bene ye breakynge in of waters, & came in by heapes to destroye me.

Job’s Prosperity Becomes Calamity

15Fearfulnesse is turned agaynst me. Myne honoure vanisheth awaye more swiftly then wynde, & my prosperite departeth hece like as it were a cloude.

16Therfore is my mynde poured full of heuynesse, & ye dayes of trouble haue take holde vpon me.

17My bones are pearsed thorow in ye night season, & my synewes take no rest.

18With all their power haue they chaunged my garmet, & gyrded me therwith, as it were wt a coate.

19I am eue as it were claye, & am become like asshes & dust.

20Whe I crie vnto the, thou doest not heare me: & though I stonde before the, yet thou regardest me not.

21Thou art become myne enemye, & wt yi violet hade thou takest parte agaynst me.

22In tymes past thou didest set me vp an hye, as it were aboue ye winde, but now hast thou geue me a very sore fall.

23Sure I am, yt thou wilt delyuer me vnto death: where as a lodgyng is prepared for all me

24Now vse not me to do violece vnto the, yt are destroyed allready: but where hurte is done, there vse thei to helpe.

25Dyd not I wepe in ye tyme of trouble? Had not my soule copassion vpo ye poore?

26Yet neuerthelesse where as I loked for good, euell happened vnto me: and where as I waited for light, there came darcknesse.

27My bowels seeth wt in me & take no rest, for ye dayes of my trouble are come vpo me.

28Mekely & lowly came I in, yee & without eny displeasure: I stode vp in ye cogregacion, & commoned with the

29But now. I am a copanyon of dragons, & a felowe of Esiriches.

30My skynne vpo me is turned to black, & my bones are bret wt heate:

31my harpe is turned to sorow, & my pipe to wepinge.