¹ Forsothe the Lord answeride to Joob fro the whirlewynd,

² and seide, Girde thou as a man thi leendis, and Y schal axe thee, and schewe thou to me.

³ Whether thou schalt make voide my doom, and schalt condempne me, that thou be maad iust?

⁴ And if thou hast an arm, as God hath, and if thou thundrist with lijk vois, `take thou fairnesse aboute thee,

⁵ and be thou reisid an hiy, and be thou gloriouse, and be thou clothid `in faire clothis.

⁶ Distrie thou proude men in thi woodnesse, and biholde thou, and make lowe ech bostere.

⁷ Biholde thou alle proude men, and schende thou hem; and al to-breke thou wickid men in her place.

⁸ Hide thou hem in dust togidere, and drenche doun her faces in to a diche.

⁹ And Y schal knowleche, that thi riyt hond may saue thee.

¹⁰ Lo! behemot, whom Y made with thee, schal as an oxe ete hey.

¹¹ His strengthe is in hise leendis, and his vertu is in the nawle of his wombe.

¹² He streyneth his tail as a cedre; the senewis of his `stones of gendrure ben foldid togidere.

¹³ Hise boonys ben as the pipis of bras; the gristil of hym is as platis of yrun.

¹⁴ He is the bigynnyng of the weies of God; he, that made hym, schal sette his swerd to hym.

¹⁵ Hillis beren eerbis to this behemot; alle the beestis of the feeld pleien there.

¹⁶ He slepith vndur schadewe, in the pryuete of rehed, in moiste places.

¹⁷ Schadewis hilen his schadewe; the salewis of the ryuer cumpassen hym.

¹⁸ He schal soupe vp the flood, and he schal not wondre; he hath trist, that Jordan schal flowe in to his mouth.

¹⁹ He schal take hem bi `the iyen of hym, as bi an hook; and bi scharpe schaftis he schal perse hise nosethirlis.

²⁰ Whether thou schalt mowe drawe out leuyathan with an hook, and schalt bynde with a roop his tunge?

²¹ Whethir thou schalt putte a ryng in hise nosethirlis, ethir schalt perse hyse cheke with `an hook?

²² Whether he schal multiplie preieris to thee, ether schal speke softe thingis to thee?

²³ Whether he schal make couenaunt with thee, and `thou schalt take him a seruaunt euerlastinge?

²⁴ Whether thou schalt scorne hym as a brid, ethir schalt bynde hym to thin handmaidis?

²⁵ Schulen frendis `kerue hym, schulen marchauntis departe hym?

²⁶ Whether thou schalt fille nettis with his skyn, and a `leep of fischis with his heed?

²⁷ Schalt thou putte thin hond on hym? haue thou mynde of the batel, and adde no more to speke.

²⁸ Lo! his hope schal disseyue hym; and in the siyt of alle men he schal be cast doun.