أَيُّوبَ 29

١ 1 وَعَادَ أَيُّوبُ يَنْطِقُ بِمَثَلِهِ فَقَالَ:

Job also added to this, using figures of speech, and he said:

٢ 2 «يَا لَيْتَنِي كَمَا فِي ٱلشُّهُورِ ٱلسَّالِفَةِ وَكَٱلْأَيَّامِ ٱلَّتِي حَفِظَنِي ٱللهُ فِيهَا،

Who will grant to me that I might be as I was in former months, according to the days when God kept watch over me?

٣ 3 حِينَ أَضَاءَ سِرَاجَهُ عَلَى رَأْسِي، وَبِنُورِهِ سَلَكْتُ ٱلظُّلْمَةَ.

At that time, his lamp shined over my head, and by his light, I walked through the darkness.

٤ 4 كَمَا كُنْتُ فِي أَيَّامِ خَرِيفِي، وَرِضَا ٱللهِ عَلَى خَيْمَتِي،

I was then just as in the days of my youth, when God was privately in my tabernacle.

٥ 5 وَٱلْقَدِيرُ بَعْدُ مَعِي وَحَوْلِي غِلْمَانِي،

At that time, the Almighty was with me and my children surrounded me.

٦ 6 إِذْ غَسَلْتُ خَطَوَاتِي بِٱللَّبَنِ، وَٱلصَّخْرُ سَكَبَ لِي جَدَاوِلَ زَيْتٍ.

Then, I washed my feet with butter, and a boulder poured out rivers of oil for me.

٧ 7 حِينَ كُنْتُ أَخْرُجُ إِلَى ٱلْبَابِ فِي ٱلْقَرْيَةِ، وَأُهَيِّئُ فِي ٱلسَّاحَةِ مَجْلِسِي.

When I went to the gate of the city, or to the main street, they prepared a chair for me.

٨ 8 رَآنِي ٱلْغِلْمَانُ فَٱخْتَبَأُوا، وَٱلْأَشْيَاخُ قَامُوا وَوَقَفُوا.

The youths saw me and hid themselves, and the elders, rising up, remained standing.

٩ 9 ٱلْعُظَمَاءُ أَمْسَكُوا عَنِ ٱلْكَلَامِ، وَوَضَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَلَى أَفْوَاهِهِمْ.

The leaders stopped talking, and they placed a finder over their mouth.

١٠ 10 صَوْتُ ٱلشُّرَفَاءِ ٱخْتَفَى، وَلَصِقَتْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ بِأَحْنَاكِهِمْ.

The commanders subdued their voice, and their tongue adhered to their throat.

١١ 11 لِأَنَّ ٱلْأُذُنَ سَمِعَتْ فَطَوَّبَتْنِي، وَٱلْعَيْنَ رَأَتْ فَشَهِدَتْ لِي،

The ear that heard me, blessed me, and the eye that saw me, gave testimony for me.

١٢ 12 لِأَنِّي أَنْقَذْتُ ٱلْمِسْكِينَ ٱلْمُسْتَغِيثَ وَٱلْيَتِيمَ وَلَا مُعِينَ لَهُ.

This was because I had freed the poor, who cried out, and the orphan, who had no helper.

١٣ 13 بَرَكَةُ ٱلْهَالِكِ حَلَّتْ عَلَيَّ، وَجَعَلْتُ قَلْبَ ٱلْأَرْمَلَةِ يُسَرُّ.

The blessing of him who would have been destroyed came upon me, and I consoled the heart of the widow.

١٤ 14 لَبِسْتُ ٱلْبِرَّ فَكَسَانِي. كَجُبَّةٍ وَعِمَامَةٍ كَانَ عَدْلِي.

I put on justice, and I clothed myself with my judgment, like a robe and a diadem.

١٥ 15 كُنْتُ عُيُونًا لِلْعُمْيِ، وَأَرْجُلًا لِلْعُرْجِ.

I was an eye for the blind and a foot for the lame.

١٦ 16 أَبٌ أَنَا لِلْفُقَرَاءِ، وَدَعْوَى لَمْ أَعْرِفْهَا فَحَصْتُ عَنْهَا.

I was the father of the poor; and if I lacked knowledge about any case, I investigated very diligently.

١٧ 17 هَشَّمْتُ أَضْرَاسَ ٱلظَّالِمِ، وَمِنْ بَيْنِ أَسْنَانِهِ خَطَفْتُ ٱلْفَرِيسَةَ.

I crushed the jaws of the impious, and I took away prey from his teeth.

١٨ 18 فَقُلْتُ: إِنِّي فِي وَكْرِي أُسَلِّمُ ٱلرُّوحَ، وَمِثْلَ ٱلسَّمَنْدَلِ أُكَثِّرُ أَيَّامًا.

And I said, “I will die in my little nest, and like a palm tree, I will multiply my days.

١٩ 19 أَصْلِي كَانَ مُنْبَسِطًا إِلَى ٱلْمِيَاهِ، وَٱلطَّلُّ بَاتَ عَلَى أَغْصَانِي.

My root has been spread beside the waters, and the dew will remain with my harvest.

٢٠ 20 كَرَامَتِي بَقِيَتْ حَدِيثَةً عِنْدِي، وَقَوْسِي تَجَدَّدَتْ فِي يَدِي.

My glory will always be restored, and my bow will be restored to my hand.”

٢١ 21 لِي سَمِعُوا وَٱنْتَظَرُوا، وَنَصَتُوا عِنْدَ مَشُورَتِي.

Those who heard me, expected vindication, and they listened closely in silence to my counsel.

٢٢ 22 بَعْدَ كَلَامِي لَمْ يُثَنُّوا، وَقَوْلِي قَطَرَ عَلَيْهِمْ.

To my words, they dared to add nothing, and my eloquence poured over them.

٢٣ 23 وَٱنْتَظَرُونِي مِثْلَ ٱلْمَطَرِ، وَفَغَرُوا أَفْوَاهَهُمْ كَمَا لِلْمَطَرِ ٱلْمُتَأَخِّرِ.

They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for belated rains.

٢٤ 24 إِنْ ضَحِكْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ لَمْ يُصَدِّقُوا، وَنُورَ وَجْهِي لَمْ يُعَبِّسُوا.

If I had ever laughed at them, they would not have believed it, and the light of my face was not cast down towards the ground.

٢٥ 25 كُنْتُ أَخْتَارُ طَرِيقَهُمْ وَأَجْلِسُ رَأْسًا، وَأَسْكُنُ كَمَلِكٍ فِي جَيْشٍ، كَمَنْ يُعَزِّي ٱلنَّائِحِينَ.

If I wished to go to them, I sat down first, and, though I sat like a king surrounded by an army, yet I was a comforter to those who mourned.