Job 29
1 And Job continued to take up his parable, and said,
Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:
2 Who will give me back months like those which are past, days like those when God guarded me;
O that I were as in months past, In the days when God was my guardian;
3 When his lamp shone over my head, when by his light I could walk in darkness;
When his lamp shined over my head, And when by his light I walked through darkness!
4 As I was in the days of my abundance, when the confidence of God was upon my tent:
As I was in the autumn of my days, When the friendship of God was over my tent;
5 When the Almighty was yet with me, when my servants stood round about me;
When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were around me;
6 When I bathed my steps in cream, and the rock poured out near me streamlets of oil!
When I bathed my steps in milk, And the rock poured me out rivers of oil!
7 When I went out to the gate close by the city, when in the open place I established my seat:
When I went forth to the gate by the city, And took my seat in the market-place,
8 Young men saw me, and hid themselves; and the aged rose up, and remained standing;
The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged arose and stood.
9 Princes stopped in the midst of [their] words, and laid their hand on their mouth:
The princes refrained from speaking, And laid their hand upon their mouth.
10 The voice of nobles was arrested, and their tongue cleaved to their palate.
The nobles held their peace, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
11 For the ear that heard me called me happy; and the eye that saw me bore witness for me;
When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; And when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me.
12 Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, yea, that had none to help him.
For I delivered the poor, when they cried; And the fatherless, who had none to help him.
13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; and the heart of the widow I caused to sing for joy.
The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, And I caused the heart of the widow to sing for joy.
14 I took righteousness as my garment, and it clothed me: as a robe and a mitre was justice unto me.
I clothed myself with righteousness, and it clothed itself with me; And justice was my robe and diadem.
15 Eyes was I to the blind; and feet to the lame was I.
I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame;
16 A father was I to the needy; and the cause of him I knew not I used to investigate.
I was a father to the poor, And the cause of him I knew not I searched out;
17 And I broke the cutting-teeth of the wrong-doer, and out of his teeth I cast down his prey.
And I broke the teeth of the wicked, And plucked the spoil from his jaws.
18 And I said then, “In the midst of my nest shall I depart hence, and like the sand shall I have many days.
Then said I, “I shall die in my nest; I shall multiply my days as the sand.
19 My root will stand open for the water, and the dew will lodge on my boughs.
My root is spread abroad to the waters, And the dew abideth on my branches.
20 My glory will ever be new with me, and my bow will acquire fresh strength in my hand.”
My glory is fresh with me, And my bow gathereth strength in my hand.”
21 Unto me men listened, and waited, and watched in silence for my counsel
To me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.
22 After my words they made no reply, and my speech dropped on them [like dew].
To my words they made no reply, When my speech dropped down upon them.
23 And they waited for me as for the rain, and they opened wide their mouth as for the latter rain.
Yea, they waited for me as for the rain; They opened their mouths wide as for the latter rain.
24 I smiled on those that had lost their confidence; and the light of my countenance they never cast down.
If I smiled upon them, they believed it not; Nor did they cause the light of my countenance to fall.
25 I chose their way for them, and I sat as chief, and dwelt as king in his army, as one that comforteth mourners.
When I came among them, I sat as chief; I dwelt as a king in the midst of an army, As a comforter among mourners.
