Job 29
1 And Job continued and said in his parable,
And Job continued his parable and said,
2 Oh that I were as in months past, wherein God preserved me!
Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;
3 As when his lamp shone over my head; when by his light I walked through darkness.
When his lamp shone over my head, [and] by his light I walked through darkness;
4 [As] when I steadfastly pursued my ways, when God took care of my house.
As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret counsel of God was over my tent,
5 When I was very fruitful, and my children were about me;
When the Almighty was yet with me, my young men round about me;
6 when my ways were moistened with butter, and the mountains flowed for me with milk.
When my steps were bathed in milk, and the rock poured out beside me rivers of oil! ...
7 When I went forth early in the city, and the seat was placed for me in the streets.
When I went out to the gate by the city, when I prepared my seat on the broadway,
8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and all the old men stood up.
The young men saw me, and hid themselves; and the aged arose [and] stood up;
9 And the great men ceased speaking, and laid their finger on their mouth.
Princes refrained from talking, and laid the hand on their mouth;
10 And they that heard [me] blessed me, and their tongue clave to their throat.
The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue cleaved to their palate.
11 For the ear heard, and blessed me; and the eye saw me, and turned aside.
When the ear heard [me], then it blessed me, and when the eye saw [me], it gave witness to me;
12 For I saved the poor out of the hand of the oppressor, and helped the fatherless who had no helper.
For I delivered the afflicted that cried, and the fatherless who had no helper.
13 Let the blessing of the perishing one come upon me; yes, the mouth of the widow has blessed me.
The blessing of him that was perishing came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 Also I put on righteousness, and clothed myself with judgement like a mantle.
I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was as a mantle and a turban.
15 I was the eye of the blind, and the foot of the lame.
I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame;
16 I was the father of the helpless; and I searched out the cause which I knew not.
I was a father to the needy, and the cause which I knew not I searched out;
17 And I broke the jaw teeth of the unrighteous; I plucked the spoil out of the midst of their teeth.
And I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
18 And I said, My age shall continue as the stem of a palm tree; I shall live a long while.
And I said, I shall die in my nest, and multiply my days as the sand;
19 [My] root was spread out by the water, and the dew would lodge on my crop.
My root shall be spread out to the waters, and the dew will lie all night on my branch;
20 My glory was fresh in me, and by bow prospered in his hand.
My glory shall be fresh in me, and my bow be renewed in my hand.
21 [Men] heard me, and gave heed, and they were silent at my counsel.
Unto me they listened, and waited, and kept silence for my counsel:
22 At my word they spoke not again, and they were very gland whenever I spoke to them.
After my words they spoke not again, and my speech dropped upon them;
23 As the thirsty earth expecting the rain, so they [waited for] my speech.
And they waited for me as for the rain, and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.
24 Were I to laugh on them, they would not believe [it]; and the light of my face has not failed.
[If] I laughed on them, they believed [it] not; and they troubled not the serenity of my countenance.
25 I chose out their way, and sat chief, and lived as a king in the midst of warriors, as one comforting mourners.
I chose their way, and sat as chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth mourners.
