An Abridgeme[n]t of all the Canonical books of the olde Testament written in Sternholds meter by VV. Samuel |
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The book of Iob. |
 | An Abridgeme[n]t of all the Canonical books of the olde Testament |  |
The book of Iob.
The first Chapiter:
A man there was that dwelt in Hus,and Iob they did him call:
Of riches great, who Sathan spoild,
and reft it from him all.
His Children eke, God gaue him leaue,
with fire to send them hence:
Yet for all this, he could not breke
Iob of his patience.
The ii. Chapiter.
Biles and foule sores vpon his flesheto vexe him woorse and woorse:
The Deuil got leaue to plague him with
the mightie Lord to curse.
His wife also, who should haue been,
his stay and eke comfort:
Shee counseld him to curse the Lord,
his freends did him exhort.
The iii. chapiter.
Cursed now be the day said Iob,wherein that I was born:
For nought is heer but wretchednes
our labour is forlorn.
their sorrowes then are doon:
He wisht the pit his house had been,
when life he first begoon.
The iiii. chapiter.
Doost thou then said one Elephas,waxe faint, whiche heer to fore:
To suche as were in trouble like,
hast been to them a lore?
The Lord wil doo what pleaseth him,
there is none iust but hee:
The Angels macht, vnto their God
vnpure are found to be.
The v. chapiter.
Eliphas stil proceedeth foorth,with pacience him to arme:
He prooues the wicked in their welth
haue soon come vnto harme.
And how the iust continually,
from God haue their defence:
He telleth Iob his happy state,
afore that he go hence.
The vi. chapiter.
Ful sore in sores Iob dooth reply,confessing he is weak:
as to him would not speak.
And eke to suche as taunted him,
he liked not their talke:
He prooueth that in woord and deed
he righteously did walke.
The vii. chapiter.
Go on our dayes we doo on earthas shadowes, or as clouds:
And sudenly we leaue behinde
our emptie framed shrouds.
Both night and day they haue their toys
with woork and dreames itost:
Wherfore if God did not vs keep,
so were we surely lost.
The viii. chapiter.
Help is there none said Bildad thē,for thee in thy distresse:
But prayers to make in puritie,
and so thy sinnes confesse.
Then shalt thou haue thy good again,
and eke therto increace:
But Hipocrites that trust in deeds,
their glory soon shall ceace.
The ix. chapiter.
that God is muche of might:
And eke more iust then what he made,
none like him in his sight.
And that whoso with him dooth plead,
let him of this be sure:
He shalbe forced to confesse,
him self to be vnpure.
The x. chapiter.
Know fain he would of God the causewhy so he did him strike:
He was his woork and handy craft,
in fourm wel to be likte.
Seeing (said he) I knowe it not,
time giue me to repent:
He dooth describe the face of death,
that makes this life relent.
The xi. chapiter.
Lo (said Sophar) another freend,what woords this fellowe makes:
Uniustly he did Iob accuse,
that he was ful of crakes.
No measure can of God be had,
he knoweth secrets hid:
He willeth Iob for to repent,
so comfort should proceed.
The xii. chapiter.
Men riche in worldly welth dispise,bothe God and godlines:
Thus then (said Iob) to those that came,
to mock his holines.
The might of God he dooth describe,
to passe all other power:
And that no strength can him restst
if he begin to lower.
The xiii. chapiter.
None of you all hath knowledge more(said he) then that I haue:
Therfore with God now let me talke,
who shall me surely saue.
He prayeth God to pardon him,
and to absent his ire:
So shall he then escape the wrath,
of euerlasting fire.
The xiiii. chapiter.
Of mens short state and misery,and how their dayes be set:
Whiche none can passe nor cut therof,
his time prolong nor let.
And eke how that this world shall end,
and men shall blisse then haue:
though men go down to graue.
The xv. chapiter.
Puft vp with pride said Eliphas,is Iob right wel I see:
What knowest thou? what canst thou tel
but eke the same can wee?
Th'vngodly man he runneth foorth
as stiffe as any steel:
But God rebukes his sinful way,
whiche sharply he dooth feel.
The xvi. chapiter.
Quenche yee your woords for shame (quoth Iob)what cōfort call you this?
My state and cace on euery side,
is far from ioy or blisse.
From witting sin by willing mood,
his hart and hands were clean:
Why he was stroke so greeuously,
he musde what God did mean.
The xvii. chapiter.
Right rufully he shewth his cace,to God that is on hie:
And stil rebukes the scornfulnes,
of those that stood him by.
for they in vertue growe:
He maketh count that he shall die,
and down to dust him bow.
The xviii. Chapiter.
Suche tormentes as the wicked shallabide for their misdeeds:
Forsooth Bildah dooth tel to Iob,
as iust deserued meeds.
Bothe darknes, net, and pit, and snare
his house and fame shall die:
Suche fee (saith hee) shall sinners haue
and telles the cause and why.
The xix. chapiter.
Ten times said Iob ye haue me vext,what mean yee so to doo?
Yee see me spoild on euery side,
and ad yee this therto?
O fauour me and hear my woords,
and write them vp in lead:
My sauiour liues whom I shall see,
when vp shall rise the dead.
The xx. chapiter.
When Iob had doon then Suphar spake,and telles the wickeds lot:
whiche he vniustly got.
And hauing store yet raking more,
stil saying he is poore:
He shall not scape the wrath of God
when he on him dooth loure.
The xxi. chapiter.
Ah now (said Iob) hear me a while,and answer to me giue:
Why doo the wicked prosper so,
and welthy long doo liue?
Yet is their end in wretchednes,
their God they did blaspheme:
At graue the poore shall haue asmuche,
as he that rulde a realme.
The xxii. chapiter.
Be sure of this (said Eliphas,)God wil with thee contend:
Thy crueltie to pouertie,
hath brought thee to this end.
Therfore conuert and turn to God
and lay away thy pride:
And make thy boon in humblenes,
and God shalbe thy guide.
The xxiii. chapiter.
I knowe his mercy great:
Before, behinde, and on eche side,
gainst him may no man pleat.
His law and eke his woorthy hests,
I haue and wil obay:
He dooth his wil, I doo him fear,
and so shall doo for ay.
The xxiiij. chapiter.
Doutles I can but muse to see,the mightie that are riche:
How knowing God, they vexe the poore,
their crueltie is suche.
The poore dooth cry, yet God permits
their tiranny to reign:
The whorishe hed and wicked man
yet surely shalbe slain.
The xxv. chapiter.
Ending his talke Bildad began,is their not power (said he)?
With him abooue whose men of war,
can not enumbred be.
Comparde with God, no man is iust,
can womens birth be pure?
When lightes abooue to him are dark,
how then shall man indure?
The xxvi. chapiter.
Ful strength & power hath God abouesaid Iob he needs no ayd:
The hel so deep is seen to him,
the earth by him is staid.
The clouds and seas are bound by him,
the heauens by him are propt:
The Whale so huge moste serpent like,
by him his powre is stopt.
The xxvii. chapiter.
God be my Iudge I wil not speak,of things that shalbe vain:
My rightuousnes I wil not leaue
for sin shall haue his pain.
Look what the wicked dooth increace,
the godly shall possesse:
And what he had he shall not haue
thus wrath shall him so dresse.
The xxviij. chapiter.
How secret seames out siluer giue,and golde with Iron hard:
How precious stones and food for folkes,
and men from men be bard.
Heer in the earth these things are hid
but wisedome hath no peer:
Whiche hid from men her for to finde
is onely God to fear.
The xxix. chapiter.
I say to you, O that I were,as I haue been tofore:
When power & might was in my hand,
and goods I had in store.
For euery man gaue me the place,
the poor I did defend:
And what I said, or what I did
all men did me commend.
The xxx. chapiter.
Knowe you that now the contrary,the vilest doo me mock:
They rail they skorn, they laugh, they talke
I am their iesting stock.
The Lord therto is eke my fo,
O God doo me forgiue:
For I did help thaflicted man,
though now thou doost me greeue.
The xxxi. chapiter.
Leudly yet look I neuer did,on mayden or on wife:
My houshold folke and strangers bothe
of me had neuer strife.
Hungry and thirstie did I feed,
the naked did I clothe:
If I haue not delt iustly dole,
then let the earth me lothe.
The xxxii. Chapiter.
Muche musing then said Elihu,vnto his fellowes three:
Haue you no more to Iob to say,
and you mine elders be?
Til you were dasht I beeing yung,
I had nothing to say:
But fearles now free speeche shall passe,
lest God take me away.
The xxxiii. chapiter.
Note wel my woords (to Iob he said)why saist thou thou art Iust:
Rebuke not God what so he dooth
for rule hee hath and must.
In bed ful sick he dooth vs lay,
suche message vs to giue:
For to submit and graunt our gilt,
then surely shall wee liue.
The xxxiiii. Chapiter.
O yee that wise and learned be,now further see you mark
God dooth not strike but wee deserue,
no thought to him is dark.
He hath no eye to great or lowe,
the riche and poor are like:
Yet Iob dooth think him self so iust
that God should not him strike.
The xxxv. chapiter.
Proceeding foorth Elihu said,be thou O Iob vniust:
Or be thou iust as thou doost say,
yet this is true to trust.
That God is ne, the more or lesse
made holy or defilde:
But if a man on him doo call,
he shall finde him ful milde.
The xxxvi. Psalme.
Quietly hear me yet a while,God dooth not strike for nought:
But for to tel and mend our sin,
that we tofore haue wrought
Bue if they skorn then shall they die,
or if the time they track:
So great is God, him to beholde,
our knowledge is to slack.
The xxxvii. Chapiter.
Ruling like as a Prince on hie,our God dooth all things guide
The storme, the haile, the frost, ye snowe,
of him they haue their tide.
To punishe lands or them to blesse,
O Iob, this is moste true:
Alone he guides the things he made,
then giue him glory due.
The xxxviii. Chapiter.
So then the Lord him self did speakto Iob: wast thou said he:
When I the heauens & earth did make,
of councel then with me?
Canst thou ought doo in hie or lowe
of wonders that I wrought?
Hast thou in waters or in land,
the treasures of them sought?
The xxxix. chapiter.
The Gotes, the Hindes, and Unicorn,their gendring and their force:
The Pecock gay and foolishe stork
or of the barbed horse.
Or of the Hauk that flies by South
or of the Egles might:
By thy deuice haue these their giftes,
to mooue and take their flightes?
The xl. chapiter.
When Iob had hard what God had saidhe humbly did obay:
And said he had said and would be stil,
then foorth the Lord did say.
The power and might of Leuiathan,
or Behemoth by name.
or make him milde and tame?
The xli. chapiter.
Al men may think his powre is great,though mine it not exceed:
Yet what ye make him for to hurt
he counts it as a reed
His paths are in the mightie sea,
all men from him doo slide:
The mightie Whale with diuel possest
he is the King of pride.
The xlii. chapiter.
Before the Lord Iob did repentconfessing how that he:
The wonderous woorks or mightie power
of God he could not see.
His freends were wild to offer giftes
that Iob might for them pray:
And God gaue him of all things more
then he had ere that day.
Thus Iob hath doon his patience,
ye haue heard all his broile:
How Sathan wrought to turn his faith
how freends did him turmoile.
Now sporting songs for liuely wits,
suche as the Lord doo fear:
From Dauids harp the sommary.
to you shall wel appear.
ye haue heard all his broile:
How Sathan wrought to turn his faith
how freends did him turmoile.
suche as the Lord doo fear:
From Dauids harp the sommary.
to you shall wel appear.
| An Abridgeme[n]t of all the Canonical books of the olde Testament | |