The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ Iob recyteth the prosperyte of the wycked, and after descrybeth theyr sodayne ruyne, and destruccyon.

CAPI. XXI.

IOb answered, and sayd: O heart my wor∣des, [unspec A] & that shalbe my cōforte of you. Suf∣fer me a lytle, that I may speake also, and then laugh my wordes to scorne ❀ (yf it lyke you.) Is it for mans sake that I make this disputacyon? Whiche yf it were so, shuld not my spirite be then in sore trouble? Marke me well, & be abasshed, & laye your hande vpon your mouth. For when I cōsyder myselfe, I am afrayde, & my fleshe is smytten with fere. * 1.1 Wherfore do wycked men lyue in health & prosperite, come to theyr olde age, & increase in ryches? Theyr chyldrē lyue in theyr syght, & theyr generacyon before theyr eyes. Theyr houses are safe from all feare, and the rod of god doth not smyte them. Theyr bullocke gendreth, & that not out of tyme: theyr cowe calueth, and is not vnfruytfull.

They sende forth theyr chyldren by flock{is} / and [unspec B] theyr sonnes leade the daunce. * 1.2 They beare with them tabrettes and harpes, and haue instrumentes of Musycke at theyr plea¦sure. They spende theyr dayes in welthynes: but sodenly they go downe to hell. They saye also vnto god: go from vs, we desyre not the knowledge of thy wayes. * 1.3 Who is the al∣myghtye / that we shulde serue hym? And what profet shulde we haue to submyt oure¦selues vnto him? Lo, there is vtterly no good¦nesse in them / therfore wyll not I haue to do with the counsayle of the vngodlye. Howe ofte shal the candle of the wicked be put out? howe ofte commeth theyr destruccyon vpon them? O what sorowe shall God gyue them for theyr parte in his wrath? Yea they shall be euen as haye before the wynde, & * 1.4 as chaffe that the storme caryeth awaye.

And though god saue theyr chyldren from [unspec C] soche sorow, yet wyll he so rewarde them sel∣ues, that they shal knowe it. Theyr owne de∣struccion and misery shall they se with theyr eyes, and drynke of the fearfull wrath of the almyghtye. For what careth he what become of his housholde after his deathe, when the nombre of his monethes is cut shorte? In as moch then as god hath the hyghest power of al, who can teache hym any knowledge? One dyeth now when he is myghtye & at his best / rych, and in prosperyte: euen whē his bowels are at the fattest, and his bones full of mary Another dyeth in sorowe and heuynesse, and neuer had good dayes. They shall slepe both alyke in the earth, & the wormes shall couer them. Beholde, I know what ye thynke, y ca, & the subtyltye that ye ymagyn agaynst me.

For ye saye: ☞ where is the prynces pa∣lace? [unspec D] and where is the dwellynge of the vn∣godly: haue ye not asked them that go by the waye? ☞ Doutlesse ye can not denye theyr tokens, that the * 1.5 wycked is kepte vnto the daye of destruccyon, and that the vngodly shall be brought forth to the daye of wrath.

Who dare reproue hym for his way to his face? who wyll rewarde him for the vngraci∣ousnesse that he doth? Yet shall he be brought to his graue, and dwell amonge the heape of the dead. Then shal he be fayne to be buryed among the stones of the playne. All men also must folow hym, and there are innumerable gone before hym. Howe vayne then is the cō∣forte that ye gyue me? Doth not falseheed re∣mayne in all your answers.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psal. 73. ••. I••••. x••••. ••.
• * 1.2

  Esa••. v. ••
• * 1.3

  E••ob••. v. ••.
• * 1.4

  Psal. ••. ••.
• * 1.5

  〈…〉〈…〉 ii. ••. Mat. x••••••. d