¶ Eliphas reprehendeth Iob of vnmercyfulnesse.
CAPI. XXII.
SO Eliphas the Themanite gaue answer [unspec A] and sayd: Maye a man be profytable vn∣to god, as he that is wyse maye be profy∣table to hymselfe? Is it any vauntage to the almyghtye that thou art ryghteous? Or shal it profyte hym, that thou makest thy wayes perfyte? Is he afrayde to reproue the, and to step forth with the in to iudgement? Is not thy wyckednesse greate, & thyne vngracious dedes innumerable? For thou hast taken the pledge frō thy brother for nought, & robbed the naked of theyr clothyng: To soch as were werye, hast thou gyuen no water to drynke, & haste withdrawen breade from the hungrye.
Shulde soch one then as vseth violence / wrong [unspec B] & oppression (doyng all thyng of par∣cialyte, and hauynge respecte of personnes) dwell in the lande? Thou hast sent wydowes away emptye & oppressed the pore fatherlesse Therfore arte thou compassed aboute with snares on euery syde, & sodeynlye vexed with feare. Shuldest thou then se no darkenesse? Shulde not the water floode run ouer the? Nowe bycause that god is hygher then the heuens, and bycause thou seyst that the ster∣res are so hygh, wylte thou therfore saye: Tusshe / howe shulde god knowe? Doth his dominion reache vpon the cloudes? Tushe / the cloudes couer hym that he maye not se / and he dwelleth aboue heuen.
Doest not thou kepe the olde waye, that [unspec C] vayne men haue gone? Whiche were cut downe out of tyme, and whose foundacyon was as a runnynge water, which sayde vnto God: go from vs, and what dyd the almygh∣tye with them? He fylled theyr houses with good thynges. But the counsayle of the vn∣godlye is far from me. The ryghteous ••awe it and were glad, and the innocent laughed them to scorne. Is our increase hewen downe As for the remenaunt of them, the fyre hath consumed it. Therfore recōcyle the vnto god, and be content, so shall all thynges prospere with the ryght well.
Reccyue the lawe at his mouth, and laye [unspec D] vp his wordes in thyne herte. For yf thou wylt turne to the almyghty, thou shalt stand fast, and put all vnryghteousnesse from thy dwellynge: Thou shalt make golde as plen∣tyfull as the dust, and the golde of Ophit as the flyntes of the ryuers. Yea, almyghty god his owne selfe shall be thy defence, and thou shalt haue plentye of syluer. Then shalt thou haue delyte in the almyghtye, & lyfte vp thy face vnto God. Then shalte thou make thy prayer vnto hym, and he shall heare the, and thou shalte kepe thy promyses. Then, loke what thou takest in hande, he shall make it to prospere with the, and the lyght shall shyne in thy wayes. For who so humbleth hym¦selfe, hym shall be set vp: and who so loketh mekely, shall be healed. Yf thou be innocent / thou shalte delyuer the countrey: bycause of the vngyltynesse of thyne handes.