Job 29
1 And Job adds to lift up his allegory and says:
And Job continued to take up his parable, and said,
2 “Who makes me as [in] months past, As [in] the days of God’s preserving me?
Who will give me back months like those which are past, days like those when God guarded me;
3 In His causing His lamp to shine on my head, By His light I walk [through] darkness.
When his lamp shone over my head, when by his light I could walk in darkness;
4 As I have been in days of my maturity, And the counsel of God on my tent.
As I was in the days of my abundance, when the confidence of God was upon my tent:
5 When yet the Mighty One [is] with me. Around me—my young ones,
When the Almighty was yet with me, when my servants stood round about me;
6 When washing my goings with butter, And the firm rock [is] with me—streams of oil.
When I bathed my steps in cream, and the rock poured out near me streamlets of oil!
7 When I go out to the gate by the city, In a broad place I prepare my seat.
When I went out to the gate close by the city, when in the open place I established my seat:
8 Youths have seen me, and they have been hidden, And the aged have risen—they stood up.
Young men saw me, and hid themselves; and the aged rose up, and remained standing;
9 Princes have kept in words, And they place a hand on their mouth.
Princes stopped in the midst of [their] words, and laid their hand on their mouth:
10 The voice of leaders has been hidden, And their tongue has cleaved to the palate.
The voice of nobles was arrested, and their tongue cleaved to their palate.
11 For the ear heard, and declares me blessed, And the eye has seen, and testifies [to] me.
For the ear that heard me called me happy; and the eye that saw me bore witness for me;
12 For I deliver the afflicted who is crying, And the fatherless who has no helper.
Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, yea, that had none to help him.
13 The blessing of the perishing comes on me, And I cause the heart of the widow to sing.
The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; and the heart of the widow I caused to sing for joy.
14 I have put on righteousness, and it clothes me, My justice as a robe and a crown.
I took righteousness as my garment, and it clothed me: as a robe and a mitre was justice unto me.
15 I have been eyes to the blind, And I [am] feet to the lame.
Eyes was I to the blind; and feet to the lame was I.
16 I [am] a father to the needy, And the cause I have not known I search out.
A father was I to the needy; and the cause of him I knew not I used to investigate.
17 And I break the jaw-teeth of the perverse, And from his teeth I cast away prey.
And I broke the cutting-teeth of the wrong-doer, and out of his teeth I cast down his prey.
18 And I say, I expire with my nest, And I multiply days as the sand.
And I said then, “In the midst of my nest shall I depart hence, and like the sand shall I have many days.
19 My root is open to the waters, And dew lodges on my branch.
My root will stand open for the water, and the dew will lodge on my boughs.
20 My glory [is] fresh with me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.
My glory will ever be new with me, and my bow will acquire fresh strength in my hand.”
21 They have listened to me, Indeed, they wait, and are silent for my counsel.
Unto me men listened, and waited, and watched in silence for my counsel
22 After my word they do not change, And my speech drops on them,
After my words they made no reply, and my speech dropped on them [like dew].
23 And they wait for me as [for] rain, And they have opened wide their mouth [As] for the spring rain.
And they waited for me as for the rain, and they opened wide their mouth as for the latter rain.
24 I laugh at them—they give no credence, And do not cause the light of my face to fall.
I smiled on those that had lost their confidence; and the light of my countenance they never cast down.
25 I choose their way, and sit [as] head, And I dwell as a king in a troop, When he comforts mourners.”
I chose their way for them, and I sat as chief, and dwelt as king in his army, as one that comforteth mourners.
