An abridgeme[n]t of all the canonical books of the olde Testament written in Sternholds meter by VV. Samuel minister. The names of the books are in the next leaf following.

¶The book of Iob.

The first Chapiter:

A Man there was that dwelt in Hus, and Iob they did him call: Of riches great, who Sathan spoild, and re••t it from him all. His Children eke, God gaue him leaue, with fire to send them hence: Yet for all this, he could not breke Iob of his patience.

The ii. Chapiter.

BIles and foule sores vpon his fleshe to vexe him woorse and woorse: The Deuil got leaue to plague him with the mightie Lord to curse. His wife also, who should haue béen, his stay and eke comfort: Shée counseld him to curse the Lord, his fréends did him exhort.

The iii. chapiter.

CUrsed now be the day said Iob, wherein that I was born: For nought is héer but wretchednes our labour is forlorn.

They are in blisse that graued be, their sorrowes then are doon: He wisht the pit his house had béen, when life he first begoon.

The iiii. chapiter.

DOost thou then said one Elephas, waxe faint, whiche héer tofore: To suche as were in trouble like, hast béen to them a lore? The Lord wil doo what pleaseth him, there is none iust but hée: The Angels macht, vnto their God vnpure are found to be.

The v. chapiter.

ELiphas stil procéedeth foorth, with pacience him to arme: He prooues the wicked in their welth haue soon come vnto harme. And how the iust continually, from God haue their defence: He telleth Iob his happy state, afore that he go hence.

The vi. chapiter.

FUl sore in sores Iob dooth reply, confessing he is weak:

And wishing death rebuking suche as to him would not speak. And eke to suche as taunted him, he liked not their talke: He prooueth that in woord and déed he righteously did walke.

The vii. chapiter▪

GO on our dayes we doo on eart•• as shadowes, or as clouds: And sudenly we leaue behinde our emptie framed shrouds▪ Both night and day they haue their to••▪ with woork and dreames itost: Wherfore if God did not vs kéep, so were we surely lost.

The viii. chapiter.

HElp is there none said Bildad th••, for thée in thy distresse: But prayers to make in puritie, and so thy sinnes confesse. Then shalt thou haue thy good again, and eke therto increace: But Hipocrites that trust in déeds, their glory soon shall ceace.

The ix. chapiter.

IOb did consent and dooth affirm, that God is muche of might: And eke more iust then what he made, none like him in his sight. And that whoso with him dooth plead, let him of this be sure: He shalbe forced to confesse, him self to be vnpure.

The x. chapiter.

KNow fain he would of God the cause why so he did him strike: He was his woork and handy craft, in fourm wel to be likte. Séeing (said he) I knowe it not, time giue me to repent: He dooth describe the face of death, that makes this life relent.

The xi. chapiter.

LO (said Sophar) another fréend, what woords this fellowe makes: Uniustly he did Iob accuse, that he was ful of crakes. No measure can of God be had, he knoweth secrets hid: He willeth Iob for to repent, so comfort should procéed.

The xii. chapiter.

MEn riche in worldly welth dispise, bothe God and godlines: Thus then (said Iob) to those that came, to mock his holines. The might of God he dooth describe, to passe all other power: And that no strength can him restst if he begin to lower.

The xiii. chapiter.

NOne of you all hath knowledge more (said he) then that I haue: Therfore with God now let me talke, who shall me surely saue. He prayeth God to pardon him, and to absent his ire: So shall he then escape the wrath, of euerlasting fire.

The xiiii. chapiter.

OF mens short state and misery, and how their dayes be set: Whiche none can passe nor cut therof, his time prolong nor let. And eke how that this world shall end, and men shall blisse then haue:

So hope he prooues shall neuer die though men go down to graue.

The xv. chapiter.

PUft vp with pride said Eliphas, is Iob right wel I sée: What knowest thou? what canst thou tel but eke the same can wée? Th'vngodly man he runneth foorth as stiffe as any stéel: But God rebukes his sinful way, whiche sharply he dooth féel.

The xvi. chapiter

QUenche yée your woords for shame ({quod} Iob) what cōfort call you this? My state and cace on euery side, is far from ioy or blisse. From witting sin by willing mood, his hart and hands were clean: Why he was stroke so gréeuously, he musde what God did mean.

The xvii. chapiter.

RIght rufully he shewth his cace, to God that is on hie: And stil rebukes the scornfulnes, of those that stood him by.

But vertuous men he dooth commend, for they in vertue growe: He maketh count that he shall die, and down to dust him bow.

The xviii. Chapiter.

SUche torment{is} as the wicked shall abide for their misdéeds: Forsooth Bildah dooth tel to Iob, as iust deserued méeds. Bothe darknes, with, and pit, and snar•• his house and fame shall die: Suche fée (saith hée) shall sinners haue and telles the cause and why.

The xix. chapiter.

TEn times said Iob ye haue me vext, what mean yée so to doo? Yée sée me spoild on euery side, and ad yée this therto? O fauour me and hear my woords, and write them vp in lead▪ My sauiour liues whom I shall sée, when vp shall rise the dead.

The xx. chapiter.

WHen Iob had doon then Suphar spake, and telles the wickeds lot:

How that his gain shall home again, whiche he vniustly got. And hauing store yet raking more, stil saying he is poore: He shall not scape the wrath of God when he on him dooth loure.

The xxi. chapiter.

AH now (said Iob) hear me a while, and answer to me giue: Why doo the wicked prosper so, and welthy long doo liue? Yet is their end in wretchednes, their God they did blaspheme: At graue the poore shall haue asmuche, as he that rulde a realme.

The xxii. chapiter.

BE sure of this (said Eliphas,) God wil with thée contend: Thy crueltie to pouertie, hath brought thée to this end. Therfore conuert and turn to God and lay away thy pride: And make thy boon in humblenes, and God shalbe thy guide.

The xxiii. chapiter.

CAn God be hid? no no (said Iob,) I knowe his mercy great: Before, behinde, and on eche side, gainst him may no man pleat. His law and eke his woorthy hests, I haue and wil obay: He dooth his wil, I doo him fear, and so shall doo for ay.

The xxiiij. chapiter.

DOutles I can but muse to sée, the mightie that are riche: How knowing God, they vexe the poore, their crueltie is suche. The poore dooth cry, yet God permits their tiranny to reign: The whorishe hed and wicked man yet surely shalbe slain.

The xxv. chapiter.

ENding his talke Bildad began, is their not power (said he)? With him abooue whose men of war, can not enumbred be. Comparde with God, no man is iust, can womens birth be pure? When light{is} abooue to him are dark, how then shall man indure?

The xxvi. chapiter.

FUl strength & power hath God aboue said Iob he néeds no ayd: The hel so déep is séen to him, the earth by him is staid. The clouds and seas are bound by him, the heauens by him are propt: The Whale so huge moste serpent like, by him his powre is stopt.

The xxvii. chapiter.

GOd be my Iudge I wil not speak, of things that shalbe vain: My rightuousnes I wil not leaue for sin shall haue his pain. Look what the wicked dooth increace, the godly shall possesse: And what he had he shall not haue thus wrath shall him so dresse.

The xxviij. chapiter.

HOw secret seames out siluer giue, and golde with Iron hard: How precious stones and food for folkes, and men from men be bard. Héer in the earth these things are hid but wisedome hath no péer: Whiche hid from men her for to finde is onely God to fear.

The xxix. chapiter.

I say to you, O that I were, as I haue béen tofore: When power & might was in my hand, and goods I had in store. For euery man gaue me the place, the poor I did defend: And what I said, or what I did all men did me commend.

The xxx. chapiter.

KNowe you that now the contrary, the vilest doo me mock: They rail, they skorn, they laugh, they (talke) I am their iesting stock. The Lord therto is eke my fo, O God doo me forgiue: For I did help thaflicted man, though now thou doost me gréeue.

The xxxi. chapiter.

LEudly yet look I neuer did, on mayden or on wife: My houshold folke and strangers bothe of me had neuer strife. Hungry and thirstie did I féed, the naked did I clothe: If I haue not delt iustly dole, then let the earth me lothe.

The xxxii. Chapiter.

MUche musing then said Elihu, vnto his fellowes thrée: Haue you no more to Iob to say, and you mine elders be? Til you were dasht I béeing yung, I had nothing to say: But fearles now frée spéeche shall pa••••e, lest God take me away.

The xxxiii. chapiter.

NOte wel my woords (to Iob he said) why saist thou thou art Iust: Rebuke not God what so he dooth for rule hée hath and must. In bed ful sick he dooth vs lay, suche message vs to giue: For to submit and graunt our gilt, then surely shall wée liue.

The xxxiiii. Chapiter.

O Yée that wise and learned be, now further sée you mark God dooth not strike but wée deserue, no thought to him is dark▪ He hath no eye to great or lowe, the riche and poor are like: Yet Iob dooth think him self so iust that God should not him strike.

The xxxv. chapiter.

PRocéeding foorth Elihu said, be thou O Iob vniust: Or be thou iust as thou doost say, yet this is true to trust. That God is ne, the more or lesse made holy or defilde: But if a man on him doo call, he shall finde him ful milde.

The xxxvi. Psalme.

QUietly hear me yet a while, God dooth not strike for nought: But for to tel and mend our sin, that we tofore haue wrought Bue if they skorn then shall they die, or if the time they track: So great is God, him to beholde, our knowledge is to slack.

The xxxvii. Chapiter.

RUling like as a Prince on hie, our God dooth all things guide The storme, the haile, the frost, y^e snowe, of him they haue their tide. To punishe lands or them to blesse, O Iob, this is moste true: Alone he guides the things he made, then giue him glory due.

The xxxviii. Chapiter.

SO then the Lord him self did speak to Iob: wast thou said he: When I the heauens & earth did make, of councel then with me? Canst thou ought doo in hie or lowe of wonders that I wrought? Hast thou in waters or in land, the treasures of them sought?

The xxxix. chapiter.

THe Gotes, the Hindes, and Unicorn, their gendring and their force: The Pecock gay and foolishe stork or of the barbed horse. Or of the Hauk that flies by South or of the Egles might: By thy deuice haue these their gift{is}, to mooue and take their flight{is}▪

The xl. chapiter.

WHen Iob had hard what God had said he humbly did obay: And said he had said and would be stil, then foorth the Lord did say. The power and might of Leuiathan, or Behemoth by name.

Canst thou him rule with snare or gin, or make him milde and tame?

The xli. chapiter.

AL men may think his powre is great, though mine it not excéed: Yet what ye make him for to hurt he counts it as a réed His paths are in the mightie sea, all men from him doo slide: The mightie Whale with diuel possest he is the King of pride.

The xlii. chapiter.

BEfore the Lord Iob did repent confessing how that he: The wonderous woorks or mightie power of God he could not sée. His fréends were wild to offer gift{is} that Iob might for them pray: And God gaue him of all things more then he had ere that day.

¶Thus Iob hath doon his patience, ye haue heard all his broile: How Sathan wrought to turn his faith how freends did him turmoile.

Now sporting songs for liuely wits, suche as the Lord doo fear: From Dauids harp the sommary. to you shall wel appear.