¹ Forsothe it was doon, whanne in sum dai the sones of God `weren comun, and stoden bifor the Lord, and Sathan `was comun among hem, and stood in his siyt,

² that the Lord seide to Sathan, Fro whennus comest thou? Which answeride, and seide, Y haue cumpassid the erthe, `and Y haue go thury it.

³ And the Lord seide to Sathan, Whethir thou hast biholde my seruaunt Joob, that noon in erthe is lijk hym; he is a symple man, and riytful, and dredynge God, and goynge awei fro yuel, and yit holdynge innocence? `But thou hast moued me ayens him, that `Y schulde turmente hym in veyn.

⁴ To whom Sathan answeride, and seide, `A man schal yyue skyn for skyn, and alle thingis that he hath for his lijf;

⁵ `ellis sende thin hond, and touche his boon and fleisch, and thanne thou schalt se, that he schal curse thee in the face.

⁶ Therfor the Lord seide to Sathan, Lo! he is in `thin hond; netheles kepe thou his lijf.

⁷ Therfor Sathan yede out fro the face of the Lord, and smoot Joob with `a ful wickid botche fro the sole of the foot `til to his top;

⁸ which Joob schauyde the quytere with a schelle, `and sat in the dunghil.

⁹ Forsothe his wijf seide to hym, Dwellist thou yit in thi symplenesse? Curse thou God, and die.

¹⁰ And Joob seide, Thou hast spoke as oon of the fonned wymmen; if we han take goodis of the hond of the Lord, whi forsothe suffren we not yuels? In alle these thingis Joob synnede not in hise lippis.

¹¹ Therfor thre frendis of Joob herden al the yuel, that hadde bifelde to hym, and camen ech man fro his place, Eliphath Temanytes, and Baldach Suythes, and Sophar Naamathites; for thei `hadden seide togidere to hem silf, that thei wolden come togidere, and visite hym, and coumforte.

¹² And whanne thei hadden reisid afer `her iyen, thei knewen not hym; and thei crieden, and wepten, and to-renten her clothis, and spreynten dust on her heed `in to heuene.

¹³ And thei saten with hym in the erthe seuene daies and seuene nyytis, and no man spak a word to hym; for thei sien, that his sorewe was greet.