Job 29
1 And Job adds to lift up his allegory and says:
And Job again took up his measure, and said,
2 “Who makes me as [in] months past, As [in] the days of God’s preserving me?
Oh that it were with me as in the months of old, as in the days, when, GOD, used to watch over 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, by whose light, I could go through 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 prime, when, the intimacy of GOD, was over my tent;
5 When yet the Mighty One [is] with me. Around me—my young ones,
While yet the Almighty was with me, round about me, were my young men;
6 When washing my goings with butter, And the firm rock [is] with me—streams of oil.
When my steps were bathed in milk, and, the rock, poured out beside me, rivulets 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 unto the city, in the open place, made ready 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, arose—they stood;
9 Princes have kept in words, And they place a hand on their mouth.
Rulers, restrained speech, and, a hand, laid they on their mouth;
10 The voice of leaders has been hidden, And their tongue has cleaved to the palate.
The voice of nobles, was hushed, and their tongue to their palate, did cleave;
11 For the ear heard, and declares me blessed, And the eye has seen, and testifies [to] me.
When, the ear, heard, then it pronounced me happy, When, the eye, saw, then it bare me witness;
12 For I deliver the afflicted who is crying, And the fatherless who has no helper.
Because I used to deliver the oppressed who was crying out for aid, the fatherless also, and him that had no helper;
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, upon me was wont to descend, and, the heart of the widow, caused I to sing for joy;
14 I have put on righteousness, and it clothes me, My justice as a robe and a crown.
Righteousness, I put on, and it clothed me, Like a robe and turban, was my, justice;
15 I have been eyes to the blind, And I [am] feet to the lame.
Eyes, became 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, as for the cause which I knew not, I used to search it out;
17 And I break the jaw-teeth of the perverse, And from his teeth I cast away prey.
And I shivered the fangs of the perverse, —and, out of his teeth, I tare the prey.
18 And I say, I expire with my nest, And I multiply days as the sand.
Then said I, Like a stem, shall I grow old, yea, as the sand, shall I multiply days:
19 My root is open to the waters, And dew lodges on my branch.
My root, is laid open to the waters, and, the dew, shall lodge for the night in my boughs;
20 My glory [is] fresh with me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.
Mine honour, shall be young again with me, and, my bow, in my hand, be renewed.
21 They have listened to me, Indeed, they wait, and are silent for my counsel.
To me, men hearkened, and waited, and kept silence for my counsel;
22 After my word they do not change, And my speech drops on them,
After I had spoken, they spake not again, and, upon them, used my speech to drop;
23 And they wait for me as [for] rain, And they have opened wide their mouth [As] for the spring rain.
And they waited, as for rain, for me, and, their mouths, they opened wide for the spring-rain;
24 I laugh at them—they give no credence, And do not cause the light of my face to fall.
I laughed at them—they lost confidence, and, the light of my countenance, they suffered not to fail;
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 abode, as king, in an army, as one who, to mourners, giveth comfort.
