Job 19

Wycliffe Bible

19 Forsooth Job answered, and said,

² How long torment ye my soul, and all-break me with words?

³ Lo! ten times ye have shamed me, and ye (still) be not ashamed, (for) oppressing me.

⁴ Forsooth and if I know not [Forsooth if I am unknowing], mine unknowing shall be with me.

⁵ And ye be raised (up) against me, and reprove me with my shames (and rebuke me with my shame).

⁶ Namely now understand ye, that God hath tormented me not by even doom, and hath (en)compassed me with his beatings. (Now then understand ye, that God hath tormented me with unfair judgement, and hath surrounded me with his beatings.)

⁷ Lo! I suffering violence shall cry, and no man shall hear me; I shall cry loud, and there is none that deemeth me worthy to be heard. (Lo! I suffering violence shall cry out, but no one shall hear me; I shall cry aloud, but there is no one who judgeth me worthy to be heard.)

⁸ The Lord hath beset about my path, and I may not go (The Lord hath hedged about my path, so that I cannot go forth); and he hath set darknesses in my way.

⁹ He hath spoiled me of my glory (He hath taken away my glory), and hath taken away the crown from mine head.

¹⁰ He hath destroyed me on each side, and I (have) perished; and he hath taken away mine hope, as from a tree pulled up by the root (and he hath taken away my hope, like a tree pulled up by its roots).

¹¹ His strong vengeance was wroth against me; and he had me so as his enemy.

¹² His thieves came together, and made to them a way by me; and besieged my tabernacle in compass. (His forces came together, and made a way for themselves against me, and they besieged me on all sides of my tent.)

¹³ He made [a]far my brethren from me; and my known as aliens went away from me. (He made my brothers to go far away from me; and my acquaintances, or my friends, went away from me like strangers.)

¹⁴ My neighbours have forsaken me; and they that knew me have forgotten me. (My friends have deserted me; and they who knew me have forgotten me.)

¹⁵ The tenants of mine house, and mine handmaids (and my slave-girls), had me as a stranger; and I was as a pilgrim before their eyes.

¹⁶ I called my servant, and he answered not to me; with mine own mouth I prayed him (I begged him with my own mouth).

¹⁷ My wife loathed my breath; and I prayed (for) the sons of my womb. (My wife loathed my very breath; even though I prayed for the sons of my womb.)

¹⁸ Also fools despised me; and when I was gone away from them, they backbited me.

¹⁹ They, that were my counsellors sometime, had abomination of me (They, who were sometimes my counsellors, loathed me); and he, whom I loved most, was (an) adversary to me.

²⁰ When my fleshes were wasted, my bone(s) cleaved to my skin; and only [the] lips be left about my teeth (and I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth).

²¹ Have ye mercy on me, have ye mercy on me, namely, ye my friends; for the hand of the Lord hath touched me.

²² Why pursue ye me, as God pursueth (me); and ye be fulfilled with my fleshes? (be ye not yet filled full with my flesh?)

²³ Who giveth, or granteth, to me, that my words be written? Who giveth to me, that those be written in a book,

²⁴ with an iron pointel, either with a piece of lead; either with a chisel those be graven in a flint? (or on a piece of lead, with an iron stylus? or be engraved on a stone, with a chisel?)

²⁵ For I know, that mine again-buyer liveth, and in the last day I shall rise from the earth; (For I know, that my redeemer liveth, and on the last day he shall rise to my defense;)

²⁶ and again I shall be (en)compassed with my skin, and in my flesh I shall see God, my saviour.

²⁷ Whom I myself shall see, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another man. This mine hope is kept in my bosom, that is, in mine heart (This hope of mine is kept in my bosom, that is, in my heart).

²⁸ Why therefore say ye now, Pursue we him, and find we the root of a word against him? (And so why now say ye, Let us pursue him, and find we the root of the matter against him?)

²⁹ Therefore flee ye from the face of the sword; for the sword is the venger of wickednesses, and know ye, that doom shall be. (And so flee ye from the face of the sword; for the sword is the avenger of wickedness, and know ye, that there shall be a judgement/that there is a Judge.)