1 Forsothe the Lord answeride to Joob fro the whirlewynd,
2 and seide, Girde thou as a man thi leendis, and Y schal axe thee, and schewe thou to me.
3 Whether thou schalt make voide my doom, and schalt condempne me, that thou be maad iust?
4 And if thou hast an arm, as God hath, and if thou thundrist with lijk vois, `take thou fairnesse aboute thee,
5 and be thou reisid an hiy, and be thou gloriouse, and be thou clothid `in faire clothis.
6 Distrie thou proude men in thi woodnesse, and biholde thou, and make lowe ech bostere.
7 Biholde thou alle proude men, and schende thou hem; and al to-breke thou wickid men in her place.
8 Hide thou hem in dust togidere, and drenche doun her faces in to a diche.
9 And Y schal knowleche, that thi riyt hond may saue thee.
10 Lo! behemot, whom Y made with thee, schal as an oxe ete hey.
11 His strengthe is in hise leendis, and his vertu is in the nawle of his wombe.
12 He streyneth his tail as a cedre; the senewis of his `stones of gendrure ben foldid togidere.
13 Hise boonys ben as the pipis of bras; the gristil of hym is as platis of yrun.
14 He is the bigynnyng of the weies of God; he, that made hym, schal sette his swerd to hym.
15 Hillis beren eerbis to this behemot; alle the beestis of the feeld pleien there.
16 He slepith vndur schadewe, in the pryuete of rehed, in moiste places.
17 Schadewis hilen his schadewe; the salewis of the ryuer cumpassen hym.
18 He schal soupe vp the flood, and he schal not wondre; he hath trist, that Jordan schal flowe in to his mouth.
19 He schal take hem bi `the iyen of hym, as bi an hook; and bi scharpe schaftis he schal perse hise nosethirlis.
20 Whether thou schalt mowe drawe out leuyathan with an hook, and schalt bynde with a roop his tunge?
21 Whethir thou schalt putte a ryng in hise nosethirlis, ethir schalt perse hyse cheke with `an hook?
22 Whether he schal multiplie preieris to thee, ether schal speke softe thingis to thee?
23 Whether he schal make couenaunt with thee, and `thou schalt take him a seruaunt euerlastinge?
24 Whether thou schalt scorne hym as a brid, ethir schalt bynde hym to thin handmaidis?
25 Schulen frendis `kerue hym, schulen marchauntis departe hym?
26 Whether thou schalt fille nettis with his skyn, and a `leep of fischis with his heed?
27 Schalt thou putte thin hond on hym? haue thou mynde of the batel, and adde no more to speke.
28 Lo! his hope schal disseyue hym; and in the siyt of alle men he schal be cast doun.