Job 29
1 Job also added to this, using figures of speech, and he said:
Job again took up his parable, and said,
2 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?
“Oh that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me;
3 At that time, his lamp shined over my head, and by his light, I walked through the darkness.
when his lamp shone on my head, and by his light I walked through darkness,
4 I was then just as in the days of my youth, when God was privately in my tabernacle.
as I was in my prime, when the friendship of God was in my tent,
5 At that time, the Almighty was with me and my children surrounded me.
when the Almighty was yet with me, and my children were around me,
6 Then, I washed my feet with butter, and a boulder poured out rivers of oil for me.
when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out streams of oil for me,
7 When I went to the gate of the city, or to the main street, they prepared a chair for me.
when I went out to the city gate, when I prepared my seat in the street.
8 The youths saw me and hid themselves, and the elders, rising up, remained standing.
The young men saw me and hid themselves. The aged rose up and stood.
9 The leaders stopped talking, and they placed a finder over their mouth.
The princes refrained from talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
10 The commanders subdued their voice, and their tongue adhered to their throat.
The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11 The ear that heard me, blessed me, and the eye that saw me, gave testimony for me.
For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me, and when the eye saw me, it commended me,
12 This was because I had freed the poor, who cried out, and the orphan, who had no helper.
because I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless also, who had no one to help him,
13 The blessing of him who would have been destroyed came upon me, and I consoled the heart of the widow.
the blessing of him who was ready to perish came on me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
14 I put on justice, and I clothed myself with my judgment, like a robe and a diadem.
I put on righteousness, and it clothed me. My justice was as a robe and a diadem.
15 I was an eye for the blind and a foot for the lame.
I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame.
16 I was the father of the poor; and if I lacked knowledge about any case, I investigated very diligently.
I was a father to the needy. I researched the cause of him whom I didn’t know.
17 I crushed the jaws of the impious, and I took away prey from his teeth.
I broke the jaws of the unrighteous and plucked the prey out of his teeth.
18 And I said, “I will die in my little nest, and like a palm tree, I will multiply my days.
Then I said, ‘I will die in my own house, I will count my days as the sand.
19 My root has been spread beside the waters, and the dew will remain with my harvest.
My root is spread out to the waters. The dew lies all night on my branch.
20 My glory will always be restored, and my bow will be restored to my hand.”
My glory is fresh in me. My bow is renewed in my hand.’
21 Those who heard me, expected vindication, and they listened closely in silence to my counsel.
“Men listened to me, waited, and kept silence for my counsel.
22 To my words, they dared to add nothing, and my eloquence poured over them.
After my words they didn’t speak again. My speech fell on them.
23 They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for belated rains.
They waited for me as for the rain. Their mouths drank as with the spring rain.
24 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.
I smiled on them when they had no confidence. They didn’t reject the light of my face.
25 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.
I chose out their way, and sat as chief. I lived as a king in the army, as one who comforts the mourners.
