¹ Whethir thou knowist the tyme of birthe of wielde geet in stoonys, ethir hast thou aspied hyndis bryngynge forth calues?

² Hast thou noumbrid the monethis of her conseyuyng, and hast thou knowe the tyme of her caluyng?

³ Tho ben bowid to the calf, and caluen; and senden out roryngis.

⁴ Her calues ben departid, and goen to pasture; tho goen out, and turnen not ayen to `tho hyndis.

⁵ Who let go the wielde asse fre, and who loside the boondis of hym?

⁶ To whom Y haue youe an hows in wildirnesse, and the tabernacles of hym in the lond of saltnesse.

⁷ He dispisith the multitude of citee; he herith not the cry of an axere.

⁸ He lokith aboute the hillis of his lesewe, and he sekith alle greene thingis.

⁹ Whether an vnycorn schal wilne serue thee, ethir schal dwelle at thi cratche?

¹⁰ Whether thou schalt bynde the vnicorn with thi chayne, for to ere, ethir schal he breke the clottis of valeis aftir thee?

¹¹ Whether thou schalt haue trist in his grete strengthe, and schalt thou leeue to hym thi traueils?

¹² Whether thou schalt bileue to hym, that he schal yelde seed to thee, and schal gadere togidere thi cornfloor?

¹³ The fethere of an ostriche is lijk the fetheris of a gerfawcun, and of an hauk;

¹⁴ which ostrige forsakith hise eirun in the erthe, in hap thou schalt make tho hoot in the dust.

¹⁵ He foryetith, that a foot tredith tho, ethir that a beeste of the feeld al tobrekith tho.

¹⁶ He is maad hard to hise briddis, as if thei ben not hise; he traueilide in veyn, while no drede constreynede.

¹⁷ For God hath priued hym fro wisdom, and `yaf not vnderstondyng to hym.

¹⁸ Whanne tyme is, he reisith the wengis an hiy; he scorneth the hors, and his ridere.

¹⁹ Whether thou schalt yyue strengthe to an hors, ether schal yyue neiyng `aboute his necke?

²⁰ Whether thou schalt reyse hym as locustis? The glorie of hise nosethirlis is drede.

²¹ He diggith erthe with the foot, he `fulli ioieth booldli; he goith ayens armed men.

²² He dispisith ferdfulnesse, and he yyueth not stide to swerd.

²³ An arowe caas schal sowne on hym; a spere and scheeld schal florische.

²⁴ He is hoot, and gnastith, and swolewith the erthe; and he arettith not that the crie of the trumpe sowneth.

²⁵ Whanne he herith a clarioun, he `seith, Joie! he smellith batel afer; the excityng of duykis, and the yellyng of the oost.

²⁶ Whether an hauk spredinge abrood hise wyngis to the south, bigynneth to haue fetheris bi thi wisdom?

²⁷ Whether an egle schal be reisid at thi comaundement, and schal sette his nest in hiy places?

²⁸ He dwellith in stoonys, and he dwellith in flyntis brokun bifor, and in rochis, to whiche `me may not neiye.

²⁹ Fro thennus he biholdith mete, and hise iyen loken fro fer.

³⁰ Hise briddis souken blood, and where euere a careyn is, anoon he is present.

³¹ And the Lord addide, and spak to Joob,

³² Whether he, that stryueth with God, schal haue rest so liytli? Sotheli he, that repreueth God, owith for to answere to hym.

³³ Forsothe Joob answeride to the Lord,

³⁴ and seide, What may Y answere, which haue spoke liytli? Y schal putte myn hond on my mouth.

³⁵ Y spak o thing, which thing Y wold, that Y hadde not seid; and Y spak anothir thing, to which Y schal no more adde.