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- Elihu proceeding in his aunswere, sayde:
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- Heare my wordes O ye wise men, hearken vnto me ye that haue vnderstanding:
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- For the eare discerneth wordes, and the mouth tasteth the meates.
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- As for iudgement, let vs seke it out among our selues, that we may knowe what is good.
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- [And why?] Iob hath sayd, I am righteous, and God hath taken away my iudgement.
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- In my right I shoulde be a lyer: my wounde is incurable without my fault.
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- Where is there such a one as Iob, that drinketh vp scornefulnesse like water?
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- Which goeth in the companie of wicked doers, and walketh with vngodly men?
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- For he hath sayde, It profiteth a man nothing that he shoulde walke with God.
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- Therfore hearken vnto me ye that haue vnderstanding: farre be it from God that he shoulde meddle with wickednesse, & farre be it from the almightie that he shoulde meddle with vnrighteous dealing.
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- For he shall rewarde man after his workes, and cause euery man to finde according to his wayes.
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- Sure it is that God wil not do wickedly, neither wyll the almightie paruert iudgement.
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- Who ruleth the earth but he?
or who hath placed the whole world?
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- If he set his heart vpon [man] and gather vnto hym selfe his spirite and his breath,
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- All fleshe shall come to naught at once, and all men shall turne againe vnto dust.
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- If thou nowe haue vnderstanding, heare what I say, and hearken to the voyce of my wordes:
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- May he be a ruler that loueth not right?
or may he that is a very innocent man do vngodly?
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- Is it reason that thou shouldest say to the king, Thou art wicked, or thou art vngodly, and that before the princes?
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- God hath no respect vnto the persons of the lordly, and regardeth not the riche more then the poore: for they be al the worke of his handes.
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- In the twinckling of an eye shall they dye, and at midnight when the people and the tirantes rage, then shall they perishe, & be taken away without handes.
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- For his eyes loke vpon the wayes of man, and he seeth all his goinges.
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- There is no darkenesse nor shadowe of death that can hide the wicked doers from him.
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- For God wil not lay vpon man more then he hath sinned, that he should enter into iudgement with him.
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- He shall destroy the mightie without seeking, and shall set other in their steede.
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- Therefore shall he declare their workes: he shall turne the night, and they shalbe destroyed.
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- The vngodly doth he punishe openly,
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- Because they tourned backe from him, and would not consider all his wayes:
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- Insomuch that they haue caused the voyce of the poore to come vnto him, and now he heareth the complaint of such as are in trouble.
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- When he geueth quietnesse, who can make trouble?
and when he hydeth his face, who can beholde him? whether it be vpon nations, or vpo one man onely:
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- Because the hypocrite doth raigne, because the people are snared.
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- Surely of God onely it can be saide, I haue pardoned, I wyll not destroy.
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- If I haue gone amisse, enfourme thou me: If I haue done wrong, I wyll leaue of.
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- Wyll he perfourme the thing through thee?
for thou hast reproued his iudgement, thou also hast thyne owne minde, and not I: But speake on what thou knowest.
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- Let men of vnderstanding tell me, and let a wyse man hearken vnto me.
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- Iob hath not spoken of knowledge, neither were his wordes according to wysdome.
- 36
- O father, let Iob be well tryed, because he hath aunswered for wicked men:
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- Yea aboue his sinne he doth wickedly, triumpheth among vs, and multiplieth his wordes against God.
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