The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

[Here bigynnith the bok of Joob [From LMOPf. Heere biginnith Job. IU. No initial rubric in the other Mss.] .] CAP. I.

[verse 1] `A man, Joob [A glos. Job was a very man in kynde, and his book is a very thing doon in dede, and not a parable, as sum men seiden. Job cam of Nacor, as Jerom, in the book of Ebreu Ques|tiouns on Ge|nesis, and Ebreis wit|nessen, to whiche it is to ȝyue credence in this matere; thouȝ Austyn and many othere seyn, that he cam of Abraham, bi Esau; also Job was the fyuethe fro Abraham, and was in the tyme of Moyses. A et plures.] bi name, was [Om. IS.] in the lond of Hus [Hus was a man that hiȝte Job IS.] ; and thilke man [Job IS.] was sym|ple [a symple man I. a symple man, that is, he was withouten double|nesse and variaunce S.] [symple; without gile. riȝtful; goinge bi the lyne of riȝtfulnesse in his dedis, to the ende of heuenely blis. dredinge God; bi drede of sones reuerence, that enclosith loue. goinge awei fro yuel; not for drede of peyne, as yuele men doon, but for the loue of vertu, which is the purpos of goode men. Lire here. C.] , and riȝtful [he was riȝtful IS.] , and dredynge God, and goynge awey fro yuel. [verse 2] And [And ther weren I.] seuene sones and thre douȝtris weren [Om. I.] borun to hym; [verse 3] and his possessioun was seuene thousynde of scheep, and thre thousynde of [Om. IS.] camels, and fyue hundrid ȝockis of oxis [oxen IS.] , and fyue hundrid of femal assis, and ful myche meynee; and `thilke man [this Job IS.] was grete [a grete man IS.] among alle men [the men S.] of the eest. [verse 4] And hise sones ȝeden, and maden feestis bi housis [her housis IS.] , ech man [man of hem S.] in his day; and thei [in her feeste daies thei S.] senten, and clepiden her thre sistris, `that thei schul|den

[to IS.] ete, and drynke [to drynke IS.] wiyn with hem. [verse 5] And whanne the daies of feeste [her feeste IS.] hadden passid in to the world [world bi greet fame IS.] [in to the world; that is, in the ende of the wouke. Lire here. C.] , Joob sente to hem, and halewide hem [hem or mouyde hem to holynesse I. hem, that is, he meuid hem to holynesse S.] , and [and bi alle her feest daies IS.] he [Job IS.] roos [roos up IS.] eerli, and offride [he offride IS.] brent sacrifices `bi alle [for hem I. for his children S.] . For [And IS.] he seide [seide; that is, thouȝte. Lire here. C.] , Lest perauenture my sones do synne, and curse God in her hertis. Joob [And Job IS.] dide so in alle daies [her feest daies I.] . [verse 6] Forsothe [And IS.] in sum [a plures. oo S.] day, whanne the sones of God [sones of God; that is, holi aungels. to be present; hiȝere aungels ben propirli present to God, that ben not [sent] out to outermere ser|uyces, othere that ben sent out ben seid for to serue God. In large maner of spek|inge, alle aun|gels and my|nystringe ben seid to be pre|sent to God, in as myche as thei seen God clerely; thus spekith Danyel in vii. c<sup>o</sup>., sei|ynge, a thou|sinde thousinde sueden him, and tensithis an hundrid thousinde weren present to him. In the largeste maner, fendis ben seid to be present to God, in as myche as thei and her dedis ben opyn to Goddis siȝt, and thus spek|ith the scrip|ture here. Lire here. C.] `weren comun [camen S.] to be present bifor the Lord [Lord, makinge sacrifice I. Lord, to maken her sacrifice S.] , also Sathan cam [cam niȝ IS.] among hem [hem to disturble hem S.] . [verse 7] To whom the Lord seide, Fro whennus comest thou? Which [And Sathan IS.] answeride, and seide, Y haue cum|passid the erthe, and Y haue walkid thorouȝ it. [verse 8] And the Lord seide to hym, Whe|ther [Wher plures passim.] thou hast biholde my seruaunt Joob, that [that ther is I.] noon [no man IS.] in erthe is [Om. I.] lyik hym [to him S.] ; he is a [Om. IS.] symple man [Om. IS.] , and riȝtful, and dredynge God, and goynge awei fro yuel? [verse 9] To whom Sathan answeride, Whether Joob dredith God veynli [veynli or in ydel I. veynli withouten cause S.] [Wher Joob dredith God veynly; as if he seye nay, for Joob seru|eth thee for the loue of temperal thingis. cum|passid; so him and hise thingis with thi pro|teccioun, that Y may not tempte hym. Lire here. C.] ? [verse 10] Whethir thou hast not cumpassid hym, and his hows, and al his catel bi cumpas [enuyroun IS] ? Thou hast blessid the werkis of hise hondis, and hise possessioun encreesside [hath encressid I. is encresed S.] in [on S.] erthe. [verse 11] But stretche [holde BCEFHLPUVX.] forth thin hond a litil, and touche thou alle thingis whiche [that I.] he hath in possessioun [possessioun takynge hem awey I. possessioun anentischinge hem S.] ; if [and if IS.] he cursith [curse IS.] not thee `in the face [thane S.] , `bileue not to me [he is verily symple and riȝtwis [and dreding thee S] IS. bileue thou not to me K.] . [verse 12] Therfor [Thanne I.] the Lord seide to Sathan, Lo! alle thingis, whiche [that I.] he [Job IS.] hath, ben in thin hond [hond or power I. hond or in thi power be my suffraunce S.] ; oneli [but oneli IS.] stretche thou not forth thin hond in to hym [his persoone IS.] . And [And thanne S.] Sathan ȝede out fro the face of the Lord. [verse 13] Sotheli [And IS. Forsothe N.] whanne in sum [a plures.] dai `hise sones [the sones of Job IS.] and douȝtris [his douȝtris IS.] eeten, and drunken wiyn in [verse 14] the hows of her firste gendrid [goten I.] brothir, a messanger cam to Job, `whiche messan|ger [and IS.] seide [seide to him IS.] , Oxis [Thin oxen IS.] eriden [that eriden thi loond S.] , and [and thi IS.] femal assis [hertis, I shal do penaunce for hem S.]

[verse 15] `weren lesewid [lesewiden IS.] bisidis [there bisidis S.] tho [hem IS.] ; and Sabeis [men of the cuntrey of Sabey IS.] felden yn, and token [thei token IS.] awey [awey with hem S.] alle thingis [thi godis IS.] , and `smytiden the children [Om. IS.] with swerd [swerd thei han sleyn thi seruauntis IS.] ; and Y aloone ascapide for [Om. I.] to telle to [this to I. these thingis to S.] thee. [verse 16] And whanne [while I. whilis S.] he [this messanger IS.] spak ȝit [Om. S.] , anothir [also anothir I.] cam, and seide [seide to Job S.] , Fier of God cam doun fro heuene, and wastide [it hath wastid IS.] scheep [thi scheep IS.] , and `children touchid [smeten thi children I. sleyn thi children S.] ; and Y aloone ascapide [scapid S.] for [Om. IS.] to telle `to thee [it I. thee these thingis S.] . [verse 17] But ȝit the [Om. IS.] while he [this messanger IS.] spak, also anothir cam, and seide, Caldeis [Men of the cuntrey of Caldey IS.] maden [han maad IS.] thre cumpenyes, and [and thei IS.] assailiden the [thi I.] camels, and token [han take IS.] tho [hem IS.] awei, and thei smytiden [han killid IS. smiten F.] `also the children [Om. I.] with [thi seruauntis with IS.] swerd; and Y aloone ascapide [scapide S.] to telle to [Om. IS.] thee [thee these thingis S.] . [verse 18] And [Om. BEHLX.] ȝit [ȝit while I. ȝit the while that S.] he spak, and [Om. IS.] , lo! anothir entride [entride yn to Job IS.] , and seide, While thi sones and douȝtris [thi douȝtris IS.] eeten, and drunken wiyn in the hows of her firste gendrid [goten I.] [verse 19] brothir, a [and a I. and S.] greet wynde felde yn sudenli fro the coost of desert, and schook [it stroke I.] foure corneris of the hows, `which felde [and the hous felle I.] doun, and [and it I.] oppresside thi [the S.] children, and thei ben deed; and Y aloone fledde to telle to [Om. I.] thee. [verse 20] Thanne Joob roos [roos up I.] , and [and he I.] to-rente hise clothis, and `with pollid heed [whanne his heed was polled I.] he felde doun on [upon I. in to S.] the erthe, and [and he I.] worschip|ide [worschip S.] [verse 21] God, and seide, Y ȝede nakid out of the wombe of my modir, Y [and nakid Y I. and nakid S.] schal turne aȝen nakid [Om. IS.] thidur [Om. S.] ; the Lord ȝaf, the [and the I.] Lord took [hath taken I. takyt S.] awei; as it pleside the Lord, so `it is [be it S.] doon; the name of the Lord be blessid. [verse 22] In alle these thingis Joob syn|nede not in hise lippis, nether spak [he spak I.] ony fonned [foly IS.] thing aȝens [to I.] God.