¹ Forsothe the Lord answeride fro the whirlewynd to Joob,

² and seide, Who is this man, wlappynge sentences with vnwise wordis?

³ Girde thou as a man thi leendis; Y schal axe thee, and answere thou to me.

⁴ Where were thou, whanne Y settide the foundementis of erthe? schewe thou to me, if thou hast vndurstondyng.

⁵ Who settide mesures therof, if thou knowist? ethir who stretchide forth a lyne theronne?

⁶ On what thing ben the foundementis therof maad fast? ether who sente doun the corner stoon therof,

⁷ whanne the morew sterris herieden me togidere, and alle the sones of God sungun ioyfuli?

⁸ Who closide togidere the see with doris, whanne it brak out comynge forth as of the wombe?

⁹ Whanne Y settide a cloude the hilyng therof, and Y wlappide it with derknesse, as with clothis of yong childhed.

¹⁰ Y cumpasside it with my termes, and Y settide a barre, and doris;

¹¹ and Y seide, `Til hidur thou schalt come, and thou schalt not go forth ferthere; and here thou schalt breke togidere thi bolnynge wawis.

¹² Whethir aftir thi birthe thou comaundist to the bigynnyng of dai, and schewidist to the morewtid his place?

¹³ Whethir thou heldist schakynge togidere the laste partis of erthe, and schakedist awei wickid men therfro?

¹⁴ A seeling schal be restorid as cley, and it schal stonde as a cloth.

¹⁵ The liyt of wickid men schal be takun awey fro hem, and an hiy arm schal be brokun.

¹⁶ Whethir thou entridist in to the depthe of the see, and walkidist in the laste partis of the occian?

¹⁷ Whether the yatis of deeth ben openyd to thee, and `siest thou the derk doris?

¹⁸ Whethir thou hast biholde the brede of erthe? Schewe thou to me, if thou knowist alle thingis,

¹⁹ in what weie the liyt dwellith, and which is the place of derknesse;

²⁰ that thou lede ech thing to hise termes, and thou vndurstonde the weies of his hows.

²¹ Wistist thou thanne, that thou schuldist be borun, and knew thou the noumbre of thi daies?

²² Whethir thou entridist in to the tresours of snow, ether biheldist thou the tresours of hail?

²³ whiche thingis Y made redy in to the tyme of an enemy, in to the dai of fiytyng and of batel.

²⁴ Bi what weie is the liyt spred abrood, heete is departid on erthe?

²⁵ Who yaf cours to the strongeste reyn,

²⁶ and weie of the thundur sownynge? That it schulde reyne on the erthe with out man in desert, where noon of deedli men dwellith?

²⁷ That it schulde fille a lond with out weie and desolat, and schulde brynge forth greene eerbis?

²⁸ Who is fadir of reyn, ether who gendride the dropis of deew?

²⁹ Of whos wombe yede out iys, and who gendride frost fro heuene?

³⁰ Watris ben maad hard in the licnesse of stoon, and the ouer part of occian is streyned togidere.

³¹ Whether thou schalt mowe ioyne togidere schynynge sterris Pliades, ethir thou schalt mowe distrie the cumpas of Arturis?

³² Whether thou bryngist forth Lucifer, `that is, dai sterre, in his tyme, and makist euene sterre to rise on the sones of erthe?

³³ Whether thou knowist the ordre of heuene, and schalt sette the resoun therof in erthe?

³⁴ Whethir thou schalt reise thi vois in to a cloude, and the fersnesse of watris schal hile thee?

³⁵ Whethir thou schalt sende leitis, and tho schulen go, and tho schulen turne ayen, and schulen seie to thee, We ben present?

³⁶ Who puttide wisdoom in the entrailis of man, ethir who yaf vndurstondyng to the cok?

³⁷ Who schal telle out the resoun of heuenes, and who schal make acordyng of heuene to sleep?

³⁸ Whanne dust was foundid in the erthe, and clottis weren ioyned togidere?

³⁹ Whether thou schalt take prey to the lionesse, and schalt fille the soulis of hir whelpis,

⁴⁰ whanne tho liggen in caues, and aspien in dennes?

⁴¹ Who makith redi for the crowe his mete, whanne hise briddis crien to God, and wandren aboute, for tho han not meetis?