Job 29
1 Job again took up his parable, and said,
Job also added to this, using figures of speech, and he said:
2 "Oh that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me;
Who will grant to me that I might be as I was in former months, according to the days when God kept watch over me?
3 when his lamp shone on my head, and by his light I walked through darkness,
At that time, his lamp shined over my head, and by his light, I walked through the darkness.
4 as I was in the ripeness of my days, when the friendship of God was in my tent,
I was then just as in the days of my youth, when God was privately in my tabernacle.
5 when Shaddai was yet with me, and my children were around me,
At that time, the Almighty was with me and my children surrounded me.
6 when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out streams of oil for me,
Then, I washed my feet with butter, and a boulder poured out rivers of oil for me.
7 when I went forth to the city gate, when I prepared my seat in the street.
When I went to the gate of the city, or to the main street, they prepared a chair for me.
8 The young men saw me and hid themselves. The aged rose up and stood.
The youths saw me and hid themselves, and the elders, rising up, remained standing.
9 The princes refrained from talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
The leaders stopped talking, and they placed a finder over their mouth.
10 The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
The commanders subdued their voice, and their tongue adhered to their throat.
11 For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it commended me:
The ear that heard me, blessed me, and the eye that saw me, gave testimony for me.
12 Because I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless also, who had none to help him,
This was because I had freed the poor, who cried out, and the orphan, who had no helper.
13 the blessing of him who was ready to perish came on me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
The blessing of him who would have been destroyed came upon me, and I consoled the heart of the widow.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me. My justice was as a robe and a diadem.
I put on justice, and I clothed myself with my judgment, like a robe and a diadem.
15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame.
I was an eye for the blind and a foot for the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy. The cause of him who I did not know, I searched out.
I was the father of the poor; and if I lacked knowledge about any case, I investigated very diligently.
17 I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the prey out of his teeth.
I crushed the jaws of the impious, and I took away prey from his teeth.
18 Then I said, 'I shall die in my own house, I shall number my days as the sand.
And I said, “I will die in my little nest, and like a palm tree, I will multiply my days.
19 My root is spread out to the waters. The dew lies all night on my branch.
My root has been spread beside the waters, and the dew will remain with my harvest.
20 My glory is fresh in me. My bow is renewed in my hand.'
My glory will always be restored, and my bow will be restored to my hand.”
21 "Men listened to me, waited, and kept silence for my counsel.
Those who heard me, expected vindication, and they listened closely in silence to my counsel.
22 After my words they did not speak again. My speech fell on them.
To my words, they dared to add nothing, and my eloquence poured over them.
23 They waited for me as for the rain. Their mouths drank as with the spring rain.
They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for belated rains.
24 I smiled on them when they had no confidence. They did not reject the light of my face.
If I had ever laughed at them, they would not have believed it, and the light of my face was not cast down towards the ground.
25 I chose out their way, and sat as chief. I lived as a king in the army, as one who comforts the mourners.
If I wished to go to them, I sat down first, and, though I sat like a king surrounded by an army, yet I was a comforter to those who mourned.
