The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

With him is wisedome and strength: he hath counsell and vnderstanding.

Beholde, he will breake downe, and it can not be built: he shutteth a man vp, and he can not be loosed.

Beholde, he withholdeth the waters, and they drie vp: but when he sendeth them out, they destroy the earth.

With him is strength and wisedome: hee that is deceiued, and that deceiueth, are his.

He causeth the counsellers to goe as spoyled, and maketh the iudges fooles.

He looseth the collar of Kings, and girdeth their loynes with a girdle.

He leadeth away the princes as a pray, and ouerthroweth the mightie.

He taketh away the speach from the faithfull counsellers, and taketh away the iudgement of the ancient.

He powreth contempt vpon princes, and maketh the strength of the mightie weake.

He discouereth the deepe places from their darkenesse, and bringeth foorth the shadowe of death to light.

He increaseth the people, and destroyeth them: he inlargeth the nations, and bringeth them in againe.

He taketh away the heartes of the that are the chiefe ouer the people of the earth, and maketh them to wander in the wildernes out of the way.

They grope in the darke without light: and he maketh the to stagger like a drunken man.

Loe, mine eye hath seene all this: mine eare hath heard, and vnderstande it.

I knowe also as much as you knowe: I am not inferiour vnto you.

But I will speake to the Almightie, and I desire to dispute with God.

For in deede ye forge lyes, and all you are physitions of no value.

Oh, that you woulde holde your tongue, that it might be imputed to you for wisedome!

Nowe heare my disputation, and giue eare to the arguments of my lips.

Will ye speake wickedly for Gods defence, and talke deceitfully for his cause?

Will ye accept his person? or will ye contende for God?

Is it well that he shoulde seeke of you? will you make a lye for him, as one lyeth for a man?

He will surely reprooue you, if ye doe secretly accept any person.

Shall not his excellencie make you afraid? and his feare fall vpon you?

Your memories may be compared vnto ashes, and your bodyes to bodyes of clay.

Holde your tongues in my presence, that I may speake, and let come vpon what will.

Wherefore doe I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my soule in mine hande?

Loe, though he slay me, yet will I trust in him, and I will reprooue my wayes in his sight.

He shalbe my saluation also: for the hypocrite shall not come before him.

Heare diligently my wordes, and marke my talke.

Beholde nowe: if I prepare me to iudgement, I knowe that I shalbe iustified.

Who is he, that will pleade with me? for if I nowe holde my tongue, I dye.

But doe not these two things vnto me: then will I not hide my selfe from thee.

Withdrawe thine hande from me, and let not thy feare make me afraide.

Then call thou, and I will answere: or let me speake, and answere thou me.

Howe many are mine iniquities and sinnes? shewe me my rebellion, and my sinne.

Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and takest me for thine enemie?

Wilt thou breake a leafe driuen to and from? and wilt thou pursue the drie stubble?

For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possesse the iniquities of my youth.

Thou puttest my feete also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly vnto all my pathes, and makest the print thereof in ye heeles of my feet.

Such one consumeth like a rotten thing, and as a garment that is motheaten.

Man that is borne of woman, is of short continuance, and full of trouble.

He shooteth foorth as a flowre, and is cut downe: he vanisheth also as a shadowe, and continueth not.

And yet thou openest thine eyes vpon such one, and causest me to enter into iudgement with thee.

Who can bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse? there is not one.

Are not his dayes determined? the nober of his moneths are with thee: thou hast appointed his boundes, which he can not passe.

Turne from him that he may cease vntill his desired day, as an hyreling.

For there is hope of a tree, if it bee cut downe, that it will yet sproute, and the branches thereof will not cease.

Though the roote of it waxe olde in the earth, and the stocke thereof be dead in ye ground,

Yet by the sent of water it will bud, and bring foorth boughes like a plant.

But man is sicke, and dyeth, and man perisheth, and where is he?

As the waters passe from the sea, and as the flood decayeth and dryeth vp,

So man sleepeth and riseth not: for hee shall not wake againe, nor be raised from his sleepe till the heauen be no more.

Oh that thou wouldest hide me in the graue, and keepe me secret, vntill thy wrath were past, and wouldest giue me terme, and remember me.

If a man die, shall he liue againe? All the dayes of mine appointed time will I waite, till my changing shall come.

Thou shalt call me, and I shall answere thee: thou louest the worke of thine own hands.

But nowe thou nombrest my steppes, and doest not delay my sinnes.

Mine iniquitie is sealed vp, as in a bagge, and thou addest vnto my wickednesse.

And surely as the mountaine that falleth, commeth to nought, and the rocke that is remooued from his place:

As the water breaketh the stones, when thou ouerflowest the things which growe in the dust of ye earth: so thou destroyest ye hope of man.

Thou preuailest alway against him, so that he passeth away: he changeth his face when thou castest him away.

And he knoweth not if his sonnes shall be honourable, neither shall he vnderstand concerning them, whether they shalbe of lowe degree,

But while his flesh is vpon him, he shall be sorowfull, and while his soule is in him, it shall mourne.

Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and saide,

Shal a wise man speake words of ye winde, and fill his bellie with the East winde?

Shall he dispute with wordes not comely? or with talke that is not profitable?

Surely thou hast cast off feare, and restrainest prayer before God.

For thy mouth declareth thine iniquitie, seeing thou hast chosen ye tongue of the crafty.

Thine owne mouth condemneth thee, and not I, and thy lippes testifie against thee.

Art thou the first man, that was borne? and wast thou made before the hils?

Hast thou heard the secret counsell of God, and doest thou restraine wisedome to thee?

What knowest thou that we knowe not? and vnderstandest that is not in vs?

With vs are both auncient and very aged men, farre older then thy father.

Seeme the consolations of God small vnto thee? is this thing strange vnto thee?

Why doeth thine heart take thee away, and what doe thine eyes meane,

That thou answerest to God at thy pleasure, and bringest such wordes out of thy mouth?

What is man, that he should be cleane? and he that is borne of woman, that he shoulde be iust?

Beholde, he founde no stedfastnesse in his Saintes: yea, the heauens are not cleane in his sight.

How much more is man abominable, and filthie, which drinketh iniquitie like water?

I will tell thee: heare me, and I will declare that which I haue seene:

Which wise men haue tolde, as they haue heard of their fathers, and haue not kept it secret:

To whome alone the land was giuen and no stranger passed through them.

The wicked man is continually as one that traueileth of childe, and the nomber of yeeres is hid from the tyrant.

A sounde of feare is in his eares, and in his prosperitie the destroyer shall come vpon him.

He beleeueth not to returne out of darknesse: for he seeth the sworde before him.

He wandreth to and from for bread where he may: he knoweth that the day of darkenesse is prepared at hande.

Affliction and anguish shall make him afraide: they shall preuaile against him as a King readie to the battell.

For he hath stretched out his hand against GOD, and made him selfe strong against the Almightie.

Therefore God shall runne vpon him, euen vpon his necke, and against the most thicke part of his shielde.

Because he hath couered his face with his fatnesse, and hath colloppes in his flancke.

Though he dwell in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, but are become heapes,

He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof in the earth.

He shall neuer depart out of darkenesse: the flame shall drie vp his branches, and he shall goe away with the breath of his mouth.

He beleeueth not that he erreth in vanitie: therefore vanitie shalbe his change.

His branch shall not be greene, but shall be cut off before his day.

God shall destroy him as the vine her sower grape, and shall cast him off, as the oliue doeth her flowre.

For the congregation of the hypocrite shalbe desolate, and fire shall deuoure the houses of bribes.

For they conceiue mischiefe and bring foorth vanitie, and their bellie hath prepared deceite.

Bvt Iob answered, and said,

I haue oft times heard such things: miserable comforters are ye all.