Job 29
1 Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:
Job also added to this, using figures of speech, and he said:
2 O that I were as in months past, In the days when God was my guardian;
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 shined over my head, And when 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 autumn of my days, When the friendship of God was over my tent;
I was then just as in the days of my youth, when God was privately in my tabernacle.
5 When the Almighty 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 I bathed my steps in milk, And the rock poured me out rivers of oil!
Then, I washed my feet with butter, and a boulder poured out rivers of oil for me.
7 When I went forth to the gate by the city, And took my seat in the market-place,
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, And the aged arose and stood.
The youths saw me and hid themselves, and the elders, rising up, remained standing.
9 The princes refrained from speaking, And laid their hand upon their mouth.
The leaders stopped talking, and they placed a finder over their mouth.
10 The nobles held their peace, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
The commanders subdued their voice, and their tongue adhered to their throat.
11 When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; And when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me.
The ear that heard me, blessed me, and the eye that saw me, gave testimony for me.
12 For I delivered the poor, when they cried; And the fatherless, 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 that was ready to perish came upon me, And I caused the heart of the widow 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 clothed myself with righteousness, and it clothed itself with me; And justice was my robe and 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 was I to the lame;
I was an eye for the blind and a foot for the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor, And the cause of him I knew not I searched out;
I was the father of the poor; and if I lacked knowledge about any case, I investigated very diligently.
17 And I broke the teeth of the wicked, And plucked the spoil from his jaws.
I crushed the jaws of the impious, and I took away prey from his teeth.
18 Then said I, “I shall die in my nest; I shall multiply 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 abroad to the waters, And the dew abideth on my branches.
My root has been spread beside the waters, and the dew will remain with my harvest.
20 My glory is fresh with me, And my bow gathereth strength in my hand.”
My glory will always be restored, and my bow will be restored to my hand.”
21 To me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.
Those who heard me, expected vindication, and they listened closely in silence to my counsel.
22 To my words they made no reply, When my speech dropped down upon them.
To my words, they dared to add nothing, and my eloquence poured over them.
23 Yea, they waited for me as for the rain; They opened their mouths wide as for the latter rain.
They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for belated rains.
24 If I smiled upon them, they believed it not; Nor did they cause the light of my countenance to fall.
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 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.
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.
