Job 29
1 Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:
And Job continued to take up his parable, and said,
2 O that I were as in months past, In the days when God was my guardian;
Who will give me back months like those which are past, days like those when God guarded me;
3 When his lamp shined over my head, And when by his light I walked through darkness!
When his lamp shone over my head, when by his light I could walk in darkness;
4 As I was in the autumn of my days, When the friendship of God was over my tent;
As I was in the days of my abundance, when the confidence of God was upon my tent:
5 When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were around me;
When the Almighty was yet with me, when my servants stood round about me;
6 When I bathed my steps in milk, And the rock poured me out rivers of oil!
When I bathed my steps in cream, and the rock poured out near me streamlets of oil!
7 When I went forth to the gate by the city, And took my seat in the market-place,
When I went out to the gate close by the city, when in the open place I established my seat:
8 The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged arose and stood.
Young men saw me, and hid themselves; and the aged rose up, and remained standing;
9 The princes refrained from speaking, And laid their hand upon their mouth.
Princes stopped in the midst of [their] words, and laid their hand on their mouth:
10 The nobles held their peace, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
The voice of nobles was arrested, and their tongue cleaved to their palate.
11 When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; And when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me.
For the ear that heard me called me happy; and the eye that saw me bore witness for me;
12 For I delivered the poor, when they cried; And the fatherless, who had none to help him.
Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, yea, that had none to help him.
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 that was ready to perish came upon me; and the heart of the widow I caused to sing for joy.
14 I clothed myself with righteousness, and it clothed itself with me; And justice was my robe and diadem.
I took righteousness as my garment, and it clothed me: as a robe and a mitre was justice unto me.
15 I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame;
Eyes was I to the blind; and feet to the lame was I.
16 I was a father to the poor, And the cause of him I knew not I searched out;
A father was I to the needy; and the cause of him I knew not I used to investigate.
17 And I broke the teeth of the wicked, And plucked the spoil from his jaws.
And I broke the cutting-teeth of the wrong-doer, and out of his teeth I cast down his prey.
18 Then said I, “I shall die in my nest; I shall multiply my 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 spread abroad to the waters, And the dew abideth on my branches.
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 gathereth strength in my hand.”
My glory will ever be new with me, and my bow will acquire fresh strength in my hand.”
21 To me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.
Unto me men listened, and waited, and watched in silence for my counsel
22 To my words they made no reply, When my speech dropped down upon them.
After my words they made no reply, and my speech dropped on them [like dew].
23 Yea, they waited for me as for the rain; They opened their mouths wide as for the latter rain.
And they waited for me as for the rain, and they opened wide their mouth as for the latter rain.
24 If I smiled upon them, they believed it not; Nor did they cause the light of my countenance to fall.
I smiled on those that had lost their confidence; and the light of my countenance they never cast down.
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.
I chose their way for them, and I sat as chief, and dwelt as king in his army, as one that comforteth mourners.
