1Forsooth, Lord, thy dooms be great, and thy words may not be (or be not able to be) fully told out; unlearned souls erred for these. Forsooth great be thy dooms, Lord, and untellable thy words; for these the undisciplined souls erred.
2For the while wicked men hold for steadfast, (so) that they may be lords of (the) holy nation, they were fettered with bonds of darknesses, and of long night, and were closed under roofs; and they fugitives were subject to everlasting or perpetual purveyance.
3And the while they guess them-(selves) to be hid in (their) dark sins, they were scattered by (the) dark hiding of forgetting or by the dark veil of forgetting they be scattered, dreading hideously, and disturbed (or troubled) with full great wondering.
4For the den that withheld them, kept not without dread; for why sound coming down disturbed (or troubled) them, and sorrowful persons appear-ing to them, gave dread to them.
5And soothly no might or strength of the fire might give light to them, and the clear flames of stars might not lighten that hideous night.
6Soothly sudden fire full of dread appeared to them or Forsooth there appeared to them sudden fire, full of dread; and they were smitten with the dread of that face, that was not seen, and guessed those things to be worse, that were seen.
7And (the) scorns of witchcraft were laid to (it), and the glory of wisdom was chastising with despising. And of divining craft the scorns were laid to (it), and the glory of wisdom correction with strife.
8For they, that promised themselves to put away dreads and disturbings or perturbations from a sick soul, were full with scorn, and were sick for dread.
9For why though nothing of the wonders against kind disturbed them, they were moved or stirred (up) by the passing of beasts, and by the hissing of adders,
10and they trembled, and perished or fearful, they perished; and denied, that they saw the air, which a man might not escape or flee (from), by any reason; for why worst things before-occupy often, while the conscience reproveth.
11For since wickedness is dreadful, it is given into condemnation of (or by) all men; for why a conscience disturbed (or troubled) presumeth ever-more wicked things.
12For why dread is nothing, but help of presumption, and showing of thought of helps or (and a) betraying of the helps of thought.
13And the while less abiding is from within, it guesseth greater power of that cause, of which it giveth torment.
14Forsooth they, that came into a mighty night, and coming above (or up-on) from (the) lowest things, and from (the) highest things, they sleeping the same sleep, They forsooth, that verily the unmighty night, and sleeping the same sleep, overcoming from the lowest, and from the highest,
15were hurled sometime by dread of wonders against kind, sometime the souls failed by leading over; for why sudden dread and unhoped (for), came on them.
16Afterward if any of them had fell down, he was kept closed in (a) prison, without iron (bars);
17for if any churl was, either shep-herd, either a workman of (the) fields, and was before-occupied, he suffered need that might not be escaped or (was) unescapable. For why all men were bound together by or with one chain of darknesses;
18either a wind hissing, either (a) sweet sound of birds betwixt the thick boughs of trees, either the fierceness of water running down greatly,
19either a strong sound of stones cast down, either the running unseen of beasts playing, either the strong voice of beasts lowing, either (an) echo sounding again from (the) highest hills, made them failing for dread. or strong sound of stones falled down, or the unseen course of playing beasts, or the strong voice of lowing beasts, or the again-sounding rebounding of sound from the highest hills, made them failing for dread.
20Forsooth all the world was light-ened with clear light, and was not withholden in works hindered. For-sooth all the roundness of (the) earth’s was lighted with clear light, and con-tained in works not letted (or hindered).
21But a grievous night, the image of darknesses, that was to coming on them, was set on them alone; there-fore they were grievouser to themselves than the darknesses. Forsooth only to them was overset a grievous night, image of darknesses, that was to come onto, or unto, them; then they to them-selves were more grievous than the darknesses.
