A   Wherfore heare my wordes (O Iob) and herken vnto me all, þt; I wyll saye: Beholde, I wyl open my mouthe, and my tonge shall speake out of my chawes. My herte shall ordre my wordes a ryghte, ∧ my lyppes shall talke of pure wysdome. The spryte of God hath made me, ∧ the breth of þe; almyghtye hath geuen me my lyfe. If thou canste, then geue me aunswere: prepare thy selfe to stande before me face to face. Beholde, before God am I euen as thou, for I am fashyoned, and made euen of the same moulde. Therfore, thou nedest not be afrayed of me, neyther nedest thou to feare, that my auctoryte shalbe to heauye for the. B   Now haste thou spoken in myne eares, and I haue heard the voyce of thy wordes: I am clene withoute any faute, I am innocente, ∧ there is no wyckednesse in me, But lo, he hath pyked a quarell agaynste me, and taketh me for hys enemye, he hath put my fote in the stockes, ∧ loketh narowlye vnto all my pathes. Beholde, vnto these vnreasonable wordes of thyne wil I make aunswere.

Shulde God be reproued of man? Why doest thou then stryue agaynst hym, because he geueth the no accomptes of all hys doynges? For when God doth ones commaunde a thynge, there shulde no man be curyous, to searche whether it be ryghte. In dreames and visyons of the nyght season (when slombring commeth vpon men, that they fall a slepe in theyr beddes) he roundeth them in the eares, C    he infourmeth them, and sheweth them playnelye, that it is he, which wythdraweth man from euyll, delyuereth hym from pryde, kepeth hys soule from destruccyon, and his life from the swearde. He chasteneth hym wyth sycknesse, and bryngeth hym to hys bedde: he layeth sore punyshment vpon hys bones, so þt; hys lyfe maye awaye wyth no bread, ∧ hys soule abhorreth to eate anye dayntye meate. In so muche that hys body is cleane c&obar;sumed awaye, and hys bones apeare no more. Hys soule draweth on to destruccyon, ∧ hys lyfe to death. Nowe yf there be a ^note messenger (one amonge a thousande) sent for to speake vnto man, and to shewe hym the ryght waye: then the Lorde is mercyfull vnto hym, ∧ sayeth: He shalbe delyuered, that he fall not doune to destruccyon, for I am suffycyentlye reconcyled. Then hys fleshe (which hath bene in myserye and trouble) shalbe as it was in hys youth. For yf he submytte hym self vnto God he is gracyous, and sheweth hym his countenaunce ioyfully, and rewardeth man for hys ryghtuousnes. Suche a respecte hath he vnto men. Therfore let a man confesse (and saye) I offended, but he hath chastened and reformed me: I dyd vnryghteouslye, neuerthelesse he hath not recompensed me thereafter. Yea he hath delyuered my soule from destruccyon, and my lyfe, that it seeth the lyght. Lo, thus worcketh God alwaye wyth man, that he kepeth hys soule from peryshynge, and letteth hym enioye the lyghte of the lyuyng. Marke well (O Iob) and heare me: holde the styl, vntyll I haue spok&ebar;. But yf thou hast anything to saye, then aunswere me, and speake, for thy aunswere pleaseth me. If thou hast nothyng, then heare me, and holde thy tonge, so shall I teache the wysdome.

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