Job 29
1 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
And Job continued his discourse:
2 Oh that I were as [in] months past, as [in] the days [when] God preserved me;
“How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me,
3 When his candle shined upon my head, [and when] by his light I walked [through] darkness;
when His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through the darkness,
4 As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God [was] upon my tabernacle;
when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God rested on my tent,
5 When the Almighty [was] yet with me, [when] my children [were] about me;
when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me,
6 When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;
when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
7 When I went out to the gate through the city, [when] I prepared my seat in the street!
When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square,
8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, [and] stood up.
the young men saw me and withdrew, and the old men rose to their feet.
9 The princes refrained talking, and laid [their] hand on their mouth.
The princes refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands.
10 The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.
11 When the ear heard [me], then it blessed me; and when the eye saw [me], it gave witness to me:
For those who heard me called me blessed, and those who saw me commended me,
12 Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and [him that had] none to help him.
because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper.
13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment [was] as a robe and a diadem.
I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; justice was my robe and my turban.
15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet [was] I to the lame.
I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame.
16 I [was] a father to the poor: and the cause [which] I knew not I searched out.
I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.
17 And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth.
18 Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply [my] days as the sand.
So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest and multiply my days as the sand.
19 My root [was] spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.
My roots will spread out to the waters, and the dew will rest nightly on my branches.
20 My glory [was] fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.
My glory is ever new within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.’
21 Unto me [men] gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.
Men listened to me with expectation, waiting silently for my counsel.
22 After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.
After my words, they spoke no more; my speech settled on them like dew.
23 And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide [as] for the latter rain.
They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers.
24 [If] I laughed on them, they believed [it] not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.
If I smiled at them, they did not believe it; the light of my countenance was precious.
25 I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one [that] comforteth the mourners.
I chose their course and presided as chief. So I dwelt as a king among his troops, as a comforter of the mourners.
