איוב 29
| ויסף איוב שאת משלו ויאמר׃ | 1 |
And Job again took up his parable, and said:
| מי יתנני כירחי קדם כימי אלוה ישמרני׃ | 2 |
Oh that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me;
| בהלו נרו עלי ראשי לאורו אלך חשך׃ | 3 |
When His lamp shined above my head, and by His light I walked through darkness;
| כאשר הייתי בימי חרפי בסוד אלוה עלי אהלי׃ | 4 |
As I was in the days of my youth, when the converse of God was upon my tent;
| בעוד שדי עמדי סביבותי נערי׃ | 5 |
When the Almighty was yet with me, and my children were about me;
| ברחץ הליכי בחמה וצור יצוק עמדי פלגי שמן׃ | 6 |
When my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil!
| בצאתי שער עלי קרת ברחוב אכין מושבי׃ | 7 |
When I went forth to the gate unto the city, when I prepared my seat in the broad place,
| ראוני נערים ונחבאו וישישים קמו עמדו׃ | 8 |
The young men saw me and hid themselves, and the aged rose up and stood;
| שרים עצרו במלים וכף ישימו לפיהם׃ | 9 |
The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth;
| קול נגידים נחבאו ולשונם לחכם דבקה׃ | 10 |
The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
| כי אזן שמעה ותאשרני ועין ראתה ותעידני׃ | 11 |
For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me, and when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me;
| כי אמלט עני משוע ויתום ולא עזר לו׃ | 12 |
Because I delivered the poor that cried, the fatherless also, that had none to help him.
| ברכת אבד עלי תבא ולב אלמנה ארנן׃ | 13 |
The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
| צדק לבשתי וילבשני כמעיל וצניף משפטי׃ | 14 |
I put on righteousness, and it clothed itself with me; my justice was as a robe and a diadem.
| עינים הייתי לעור ורגלים לפסח אני׃ | 15 |
I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.
| אב אנכי לאביונים ורב לא ידעתי אחקרהו׃ | 16 |
I was a father to the needy; and the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.
| ואשברה מתלעות עול ומשניו אשליך טרף׃ | 17 |
And I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the prey out of his teeth.
| ואמר עם קני אגוע וכחול ארבה ימים׃ | 18 |
Then I said: 'I shall die with my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the phoenix;
| שרשי פתוח אלי מים וטל ילין בקצירי׃ | 19 |
My root shall be spread out to the waters, and the dew shall lie all night upon my branch;
| כבודי חדש עמדי וקשתי בידי תחליף׃ | 20 |
My glory shall be fresh in me, and my bow shall be renewed in my hand.'
| לי שמעו ויחלו וידמו למו עצתי׃ | 21 |
Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence for my counsel.
| אחרי דברי לא ישנו ועלימו תטף מלתי׃ | 22 |
After my words they spoke not again; and my speech dropped upon them.
| ויחלו כמטר לי ופיהם פערו למלקוש׃ | 23 |
And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.
| אשחק אלהם לא יאמינו ואור פני לא יפילון׃ | 24 |
If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.
| אבחר דרכם ואשב ראש ואשכון כמלך בגדוד כאשר אבלים ינחם׃ | 25 |
I chose out their way, and sat as chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.
