Job 29
1 And Job adds to lift up his allegory and says:
And Job continued and said in his parable,
2 “Who makes me as [in] months past, As [in] the days of God’s preserving me?
Oh that I were as in months past, wherein God preserved me!
3 In His causing His lamp to shine on my head, By His light I walk [through] darkness.
As when his lamp shone over my head; when by his light I walked through darkness.
4 As I have been in days of my maturity, And the counsel of God on my tent.
[As] when I steadfastly pursued my ways, when God took care of my house.
5 When yet the Mighty One [is] with me. Around me—my young ones,
When I was very fruitful, and my children were about me;
6 When washing my goings with butter, And the firm rock [is] with me—streams of oil.
when my ways were moistened with butter, and the mountains flowed for me with milk.
7 When I go out to the gate by the city, In a broad place I prepare my seat.
When I went forth early in the city, and the seat was placed for me in the streets.
8 Youths have seen me, and they have been hidden, And the aged have risen—they stood up.
The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and all the old men stood up.
9 Princes have kept in words, And they place a hand on their mouth.
And the great men ceased speaking, and laid their finger on their mouth.
10 The voice of leaders has been hidden, And their tongue has cleaved to the palate.
And they that heard [me] blessed me, and their tongue clave to their throat.
11 For the ear heard, and declares me blessed, And the eye has seen, and testifies [to] me.
For the ear heard, and blessed me; and the eye saw me, and turned aside.
12 For I deliver the afflicted who is crying, And the fatherless who has no helper.
For I saved the poor out of the hand of the oppressor, and helped the fatherless who had no helper.
13 The blessing of the perishing comes on me, And I cause the heart of the widow to sing.
Let the blessing of the perishing one come upon me; yes, the mouth of the widow has blessed me.
14 I have put on righteousness, and it clothes me, My justice as a robe and a crown.
Also I put on righteousness, and clothed myself with judgement like a mantle.
15 I have been eyes to the blind, And I [am] feet to the lame.
I was the eye of the blind, and the foot of the lame.
16 I [am] a father to the needy, And the cause I have not known I search out.
I was the father of the helpless; and I searched out the cause which I knew not.
17 And I break the jaw-teeth of the perverse, And from his teeth I cast away prey.
And I broke the jaw teeth of the unrighteous; I plucked the spoil out of the midst of their teeth.
18 And I say, I expire with my nest, And I multiply days as the sand.
And I said, My age shall continue as the stem of a palm tree; I shall live a long while.
19 My root is open to the waters, And dew lodges on my branch.
[My] root was spread out by the water, and the dew would lodge on my crop.
20 My glory [is] fresh with me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.
My glory was fresh in me, and by bow prospered in his hand.
21 They have listened to me, Indeed, they wait, and are silent for my counsel.
[Men] heard me, and gave heed, and they were silent at my counsel.
22 After my word they do not change, And my speech drops on them,
At my word they spoke not again, and they were very gland whenever I spoke to them.
23 And they wait for me as [for] rain, And they have opened wide their mouth [As] for the spring rain.
As the thirsty earth expecting the rain, so they [waited for] my speech.
24 I laugh at them—they give no credence, And do not cause the light of my face to fall.
Were I to laugh on them, they would not believe [it]; and the light of my face has not failed.
25 I choose their way, and sit [as] head, And I dwell as a king in a troop, When he comforts mourners.”
I chose out their way, and sat chief, and lived as a king in the midst of warriors, as one comforting mourners.
