Job 29
1 And Job continued his discourse:
And Job continued to take up his parable, and said,
2 “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me,
Who will give me back months like those which are past, days like those when God guarded me;
3 when His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through the darkness,
When his lamp shone over my head, when by his light I could walk in darkness;
4 when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God rested on my tent,
As I was in the days of my abundance, when the confidence of God was upon my tent:
5 when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me,
When the Almighty was yet with me, when my servants stood round about me;
6 when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
When I bathed my steps in cream, and the rock poured out near me streamlets of oil!
7 When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square,
When I went out to the gate close by the city, when in the open place I established my seat:
8 the young men saw me and withdrew, and the old men rose to their feet.
Young men saw me, and hid themselves; and the aged rose up, and remained standing;
9 The princes refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands.
Princes stopped in the midst of [their] words, and laid their hand on their mouth:
10 The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.
The voice of nobles was arrested, and their tongue cleaved to their palate.
11 For those who heard me called me blessed, and those who saw me commended me,
For the ear that heard me called me happy; and the eye that saw me bore witness for me;
12 because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper.
Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, yea, that had none to help him.
13 The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; and the heart of the widow I caused to sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; justice was my robe and my turban.
I took righteousness as my garment, and it clothed me: as a robe and a mitre was justice unto me.
15 I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame.
Eyes was I to the blind; and feet to the lame was I.
16 I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.
A father was I to the needy; and the cause of him I knew not I used to investigate.
17 I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth.
And I broke the cutting-teeth of the wrong-doer, and out of his teeth I cast down his prey.
18 So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest and multiply my days as the sand.
And I said then, “In the midst of my nest shall I depart hence, and like the sand shall I have many days.
19 My roots will spread out to the waters, and the dew will rest nightly on my branches.
My root will stand open for the water, and the dew will lodge on my boughs.
20 My glory is ever new within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.’
My glory will ever be new with me, and my bow will acquire fresh strength in my hand.”
21 Men listened to me with expectation, waiting silently for my counsel.
Unto me men listened, and waited, and watched in silence for my counsel
22 After my words, they spoke no more; my speech settled on them like dew.
After my words they made no reply, and my speech dropped on them [like dew].
23 They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers.
And they waited for me as for the rain, and they opened wide their mouth as for the latter rain.
24 If I smiled at them, they did not believe it; the light of my countenance was precious.
I smiled on those that had lost their confidence; and the light of my countenance they never cast down.
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 their way for them, and I sat as chief, and dwelt as king in his army, as one that comforteth mourners.
