Job 29
1 And Job continued his discourse:
And Job continued and said in his parable,
2 “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me,
Oh that I were as in months past, wherein God preserved me!
3 when His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through the darkness,
As when his lamp shone over my head; when by his light I walked through darkness.
4 when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God rested on my tent,
[As] when I steadfastly pursued my ways, when God took care of my house.
5 when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me,
When I was very fruitful, and my children were about me;
6 when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
when my ways were moistened with butter, and the mountains flowed for me with milk.
7 When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square,
When I went forth early in the city, and the seat was placed for me in the streets.
8 the young men saw me and withdrew, and the old men rose to their feet.
The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and all the old men stood up.
9 The princes refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands.
And the great men ceased speaking, and laid their finger on their mouth.
10 The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.
And they that heard [me] blessed me, and their tongue clave to their throat.
11 For those who heard me called me blessed, and those who saw me commended me,
For the ear heard, and blessed me; and the eye saw me, and turned aside.
12 because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper.
For I saved the poor out of the hand of the oppressor, and helped the fatherless who had no helper.
13 The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
Let the blessing of the perishing one come upon me; yes, the mouth of the widow has blessed me.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; justice was my robe and my turban.
Also I put on righteousness, and clothed myself with judgment like a mantle.
15 I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame.
I was the eye of the blind, and the foot of the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.
I was the father of the helpless; and I searched out the cause which I knew not.
17 I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth.
And I broke the jaw teeth of the unrighteous; I plucked the spoil out of the midst of their teeth.
18 So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest and multiply my days as the sand.
And I said, My age shall continue as the stem of a palm tree; I shall live a long while.
19 My roots will spread out to the waters, and the dew will rest nightly on my branches.
[My] root was spread out by the water, and the dew would lodge on my crop.
20 My glory is ever new within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.’
My glory was fresh in me, and by bow prospered in his hand.
21 Men listened to me with expectation, waiting silently for my counsel.
[Men] heard me, and gave heed, and they were silent at my counsel.
22 After my words, they spoke no more; my speech settled on them like dew.
At my word they spoke not again, and they were very gland whenever I spoke to them.
23 They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers.
As the thirsty earth expecting the rain, so they [waited for] my speech.
24 If I smiled at them, they did not believe it; the light of my countenance was precious.
Were I to laugh on them, they would not believe [it]; and the light of my face has not failed.
25 I chose their course and presided as chief. So I dwelt as a king among his troops, as a comforter of the mourners.
I chose out their way, and sat chief, and lived as a king in the midst of warriors, as one comforting mourners.
