¹ Forsothe Joob answeride, and seide,

² Y preye, here ye my wordis, and do ye penaunce.

³ Suffre ye me, that Y speke; and leiye ye aftir my wordis, if it schal seme worthi.

⁴ Whether my disputyng is ayens man, that skilfuli Y owe not to be sori?

⁵ Perseyue ye me, and be ye astonyed; and sette ye fyngur on youre mouth.

⁶ And whanne Y bithenke, Y drede, and tremblyng schakith my fleisch.

⁷ Whi therfor lyuen wickid men? Thei ben enhaunsid, and coumfortid with richessis.

⁸ Her seed dwellith bifor hem; the cumpeny of kynesmen, and of sones of sones dwellith in her siyt.

⁹ Her housis ben sikur, and pesible; and the yerde of God is not on hem.

¹⁰ The cow of hem conseyuede, and caluede not a deed calf; the cow caluyde, and is not priued of hir calf.

¹¹ Her litle children goen out as flockis; and her yonge children `maken fulli ioye with pleies.

¹² Thei holden tympan, and harpe; and ioien at the soun of orgun.

¹³ Thei leden in goodis her daies; and in a point thei goen doun to hellis.

¹⁴ Whiche men seiden to God, Go thou awei fro us; we nylen the kunnyng of thi weies.

¹⁵ Who is Almiyti God, that we serue him? and what profitith it to vs, if we preien him?

¹⁶ Netheles for her goodis ben not in her hond, `that is, power, the counsel of wickid men be fer fro me.

¹⁷ Hou ofte schal the lanterne of wickid men be quenchid, and flowing schal come on hem, and God schal departe the sorewis of his stronge veniaunce?

¹⁸ Thei schulen be as chaffis bifor the face of the wynd; and as a deed sparcle, whiche the whirlewynd scaterith abrood.

¹⁹ God schal kepe the sorewe of the fadir to hise sones; and whanne he hath yoldun, thanne he schal wite.

²⁰ Hise iyen schulen se her sleyng; and he schal drynke of the stronge veniaunce of Almyyti God.

²¹ For whi what perteyneth it to hym of his hows aftir hym, thouy the noumbre of his monethis be half takun awey?

²² Whether ony man schal teche God kunnyng, which demeth hem that ben hiye?

²³ This yuel man dieth strong and hool, riche and blesful, `that is, myrie.

²⁴ Hise entrails ben ful of fatnesse; and hise boonys ben moistid with merowis.

²⁵ Sotheli anothir wickid man dieth in the bittirnesse of his soule, and with outen ony richessis.

²⁶ And netheles thei schulen slepe togidere in dust, and wormes schulen hile hem.

²⁷ Certis Y knowe youre wickid thouytis, and sentensis ayens me.

²⁸ For ye seien, Where is the hows of the prince? and where ben the tabernaclis of wickid men?

²⁹ Axe ye ech of `the weie goeris; and ye schulen knowe, that he vndurstondith these same thingis,

³⁰ that an yuel man schal be kept in to the dai of perdicioun, and schal be led to the dai of woodnesse.

³¹ Who schal repreue hise weies bifor hym? and who schal yelde to hym tho thingis, whiche he hath doon?

³² He schal be led to the sepulcris; and he schal wake in the heep of deed men.

³³ He was swete to the `stoonys, ether filthis, of helle; and drawith ech man aftir hym, and vnnoumbrable men bifor him.

³⁴ Hou therfor coumforten ye me in veyn, sithen youre answeris ben schewid to `repugne to treuthe?