Job 29
1 Job went on speaking.
And Job continued his parable and said,
2 “I wish I was back in the old days when God looked after me!
Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;
3 His light shone above me and lit my way through the darkness.
When his lamp shone over my head, [and] by his light I walked through darkness;
4 When I was young and strong, God was my friend and spoke to me in my home.
As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret counsel of God was over my tent,
5 The Almighty was still with me and I was surrounded with my children.
When the Almighty was yet with me, my young men round about me;
6 My herds produced much milk, and oil flowed freely from my olive presses.
When my steps were bathed in milk, and the rock poured out beside me rivers of oil! ...
7 I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square.
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 moved out of the way; the elders would stand up for me.
The young men saw me, and hid themselves; and the aged arose [and] stood up;
9 The leaders remained silent and covered their mouths with their hands.
Princes refrained from talking, and laid the hand on their mouth;
10 The voices of the officials were hushed; they held their tongues in my presence.
The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue cleaved to their palate.
11 Everyone who listened to me praised me; whoever saw me commended me,
When the ear heard [me], then it blessed me, and when the eye saw [me], it gave witness to me;
12 because I gave to the poor who called out to me and the orphans who had no one to help them.
For I delivered the afflicted that cried, and the fatherless who had no helper.
13 Those who were about to die blessed me; I made the widow sing for joy.
The blessing of him that was perishing came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 Being true and acting right were what I wore for clothing.
I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was as a mantle and a turban.
15 I was like eyes for the blind and feet for the lame.
I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame;
16 I was like a father to the poor, and I defended the rights of strangers.
I was a father to the needy, and the cause which I knew not I searched out;
17 I broke the jaw of the wicked and made them drop their prey from their teeth.
And I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
18 I thought I would die at home, after many years.
And I said, I shall die in my nest, and multiply my days as the sand;
19 Like a tree my roots spread out to the water; the dew rests on my branches overnight.
My root shall be spread out to the waters, and the dew will lie all night on my branch;
20 Fresh honors were always being given to me; my strength was renewed like an unfailing bow.
My glory shall be fresh in me, and my bow be renewed in my hand.
21 People listened carefully to what I had to say; they kept quiet as they listened to my advice.
Unto me they listened, and waited, and kept silence for my counsel:
22 Once I had spoken they had nothing else to say; what I said was enough.
After my words they spoke not again, and my speech dropped upon them;
23 They waited for me like people waiting for rain; their mouths wide open for the spring rain.
And they waited for me as for the rain, and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.
24 When I smiled at them they could hardly believe it; my approval meant all the world to them.
[If] I laughed on them, they believed [it] not; and they troubled not the serenity of my countenance.
25 I decided the way forward as their leader, living like a king among his soldiers, and when they were sad I comforted them.
I chose their way, and sat as chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth mourners.
