CHAPTER XVIII.

1. 2 Then spake Bildad, what ende will ye make, saith he, of these your alterrations and discourses to and fro? Let euery one rather weigh diligently what is spoken on both sides, so shall our speeches be to the purpose, and not rove at vncerten markes, and so shall we finde some ende of this disputation.

3 Why are we counted as beastes, and are vile in your sight?

What? is it meete that this Iob, whom to comfort we are come hither, should despise vs and esteeme of vs no better then of beastes, which want reason and vnderstanding? and that our speeches should seeme vnto you that are present, as base and of little value?

4 O the man which teareth his soule in his anger, shall the earth be forsaken for thee, and shall the rockes be remooued out of their places.

But O thou, that forgetting thy selfe to be a man, like some madde and furious beast, through rage and impatiencie tea∣rest thy selfe, canst thou make God afraid with these thy cries? will he, thinkest thou, cast his scepter out of his hands? will he leaue off to rule & gouerne the earth? will he for thy sake change the ordinarie course of nature, as to mooue the rockes out of their places. For surely thus it must needes be, Page  [unnumbered] if either in aduersitie or in prosperity he should make no dif∣ference betweene the righteous, such a one as thou still re∣putest thy selfe, and the wicked which hate God.

5 Yea, the light of the wicked is quenched, neither doeth the sparcke of his fire (that is, of any of them) shine.

But howe false this is, thou thy selfe Iob nowe findest. For although God of his goodnesse, do sometimes suffer the wic∣ked as it were to shine in a prosperous and flourishing estate, yet that light is quickely put out, neither doeth that sparke of theirs send foorth any beames.

6 The light is darkened in his tabernacles, and his candle is put out with him.

And both he him selfe, and all his house out of this light shall fall into extreme darkenesse and miserie, by reason that suddenly his light shall be put out, and in a moment he shall loose all his beautie and brightnesse.

7 The steps of his strength shall be brought into straightes, and his owne counsell shall cast him downe.

Wheras before nothing seemed too hard for him which he durst not take in hand, & which by his strength he could not atchieue and bring to passe, nowe his heart shall faile him, & he shalbe brought into straightes, out of which while he see∣keth by manie pollicies and counsels to ridde him selfe, he draweth vpon him selfe his owne destruction.

8 For his feete shalbe taken in the net, and he shall walke vpon the snare.

For his foote shalbe caught in the snare, and which way soeuer he goeth, he shall intangle him selfe in the net.

9 The grenne shall take him by the heele, and the thiefe shall come vpon him.

As he goeth on his way the grenne shall take him by the heele, and throwe him to the grounde, the thiefe shall come vpon him, and he shall lie at the mercie of the robbers.

10 A snare is laid for him in the grounde, and a trap for him in his way.

When he walketh, a snare lyeth vnder his feete to catch him at vnawares, and which way soeuer he turneth himselfe traps are laid to snare him.

11 Terrors shall make him afraide on euery side, and shall driue Page  [unnumbered] him to his feete, (that is, shall constraine him to flie from one place to another.)

And truely these daungers let him looke for abroad, and these mischiefes shall befall him. Nowe inwardly and with him selfe he shall liue in continuall feare and horror, so that he shall not thinke him selfe any where safe, he shall be cary∣ed hither and thither, indeede not knowing which way to turne him selfe.

12 His violence shall be his famine, and destruction standeth at his elbowe.

By doing wrong and violently oppressing the poore, he shall be found to haue gained nothing, but that he shall pine for hunger: and he shalbe ouertaken with some grieuous calamitie, which alwayes shall waite vpon him, and neuer depart from his elbowe.

13 Jt shall deuoure the supporters of his skinne: the first borne of death shall deuoure (I say) his strength.

Some strange disease, being sent as it were out of the bow∣els of death it selfe with great power to hurt, shall eate vp his flesh, and consume the veines and sinnowes, wherewith his ioyntes and members are tyed and knit together.

14 His hope shalbe suddenly taken from him in his dwelling, and (the first borne of death) shall cause him to goe to the King of feare.

15 (And he) shall dwell in his tabernacle, and it shall not be his: brimstone shalbe scattered vpon his habitation.

16 His rootes shall be dryed vp beneath, and aboue shall his braunch be cut downe.

17 His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall haue no name in the streetes.

14 Neither shall this mischiefe thus cease, (which thing consider, Iob, whether it do not most fitly agree to thy selfe.) For all they, vpon whome the wicked man trusteth, and by whose meanes he hopeth that his house and name shall flou∣rish and come in great credite & honor abroad, are violently and suddenly swept away: and that horrible euil and disease, whereof I spake before, at the length comming vpon him, shall by force drawe him to the king of feare, I meane, Death it selfe: 15 which hauing quite thrust him out of doores, Page  [unnumbered] shall strewe his house with brimstone, and dwell therein. 16 And thus it shall come to passe, that his rootes, by which he was nourished and vpholden, being beneath dryed vp & rot∣ten, and his boughes aloft lopped and cut downe, 17 both he and all his posteritie shall so be blotted out, that they shalbe quite forgottē, and not once spoken of amongst men.

18 He shalbe driuen out of the light vnto darkenesse, and be chased out of the worlde.

19 He shall neither haue sonne nor nephewe among his people, and none shalbe left in his dwellings.

20 The posteritie shalbe astonied at his day, and feare shall come vpon the auncient.

18 Therefore thus shall he fall out of light into darke∣nes, neither shall he any where appeare or shewe his face, be∣cause he is on all sides thrust out, and in no place can find in∣tertainment. 19 He shall haue no sonne nor yet nephewe left, whereby his house and stocke may be reckoned in his tribe, neither shall any of his blood and kindred remaine a∣liue. 20 And this his fall shall be so fearfull, that his posteri∣tie shall thereat stand as it were amased, and his auncetours shall not behold it without great astonishment.

21 Surely such are the habitations of the wicked: and this is the place of him, who feareth not God.

Loe, this is the lot of the wicked, and this is the ende of them who doe not feare God.