Then answered Eliphas the Themanite, and sayde:

Shulde a wyse man geue soch an answere (as it were one that spake in the wynde) and fyll his stomacke with anger?

Thou reprouest wt wordes, that are nothinge wroth: and speakest the thinges, which can do no good.

As for shame, thou hast set it asyde, els woldest thou not make so many wordes before God:

but thy wickednesse teacheth thy mouth, and so thou hast chosen the a craftie tonge.

Thine owne mouth condemneth the, and not I: yee thine owne lippes shappe the an answere.

Art thou the first man, that euer was borne? Or, wast thou made before the hylles?

hast thou herde the secrete councell of God, that all wy?dome is to litle for ye?

What knowest thou, yt we knowe not? What vnderstondest thou, but we can the same?

With vs are olde and aged men, yee soch as haue lyued longer then thy forefathers.

Dost thou nomore regarde the comforte of God? but thy wicked wordes wil not suffre the.

Why doth thine herte make the so proude? Why stondest thou so greatly in thine owne conceate? Where vnto loke thine eyes,

yt thy mynde is so puft vp agaynst God & lettest soch wordes go out of thy mouth?

What is man, that he shulde be vncleane? what hath he (which is borne of a woman) wherby he might be knowne to be rightuous?

Beholde, he hath founde vnfaithfulnesse amoge his owne sanctes: yee the very heauens are vnclene in his sight.

How moch more then an abhominable and vyle ma, which dryncketh wickednesse like water?

I will tell the, heare me: I wil shewe the a thinge, that I knowe:

which wyse men haue tolde, & hath not bene hyd from their fathers:

vnto whom only the londe was geuen, that no straunger shulde come amonge them.

The vngodly despayreth all the dayes of his life, & the nombre of a tyrauntes yeares is vnknowne.

A fearfull sounde is euer in his eares, & when it is peace, yet feareth he destruccion:

He beleueth neuer to be delyuered out of darcknesse, the swearde is allwaye before his eyes.

When he goeth forth to get his lyuinge, he thinketh planely, that the daye of darcknesse is at honde.

Sorow and carefulnesse make him afrayed, & copasse him rounde aboute, like as it were a kinge with his hoost redy to the battayll.

For he hath stretched out his honde agaynst God, & armed himself agaynst ye Allmightie.

He runneth proudly vpon him, & with a stiff necke fighteth he agaynst him:

where as he couereth his face with fatnesse, and maketh his body well lykynge.

Therfore shall his dwellynge be in desolate cities, & in houses which no ma inhabiteth, but are become heapes of stones.

He shall not be rich, nether shall his substaunce continue, ner encrease vpon earth.

He shal neuer come out of darcknesse, the flame shal drye vp his braunches, with ye blast of the mouth of God shal he be take awaie.

He wil nether applye himself to faithfulnes ner treuth, so sore is he disceaued wt vanite.

He shall perish, afore his tyme be worne out, and his honde shal not be grene.

He shalbe pluckte of as an vntymely grape from ye vyne, and shal let his floure fall, as the olyue doth.

For the congregacion of Ypocrites is vnfrutefull, & the fyre shal consume the houses of soch, as are gredy to receaue giftes.

He conceaueth trauayle, he beareth myschefe, & his body bryngeth forth disceate.