Job 29
1 addidit quoque Iob adsumens parabolam suam et dixit
Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:
2 quis mihi tribuat ut sim iuxta menses pristinos secundum dies quibus Deus custodiebat me
O that I were as in months past, In the days when God was my guardian;
3 quando splendebat lucerna eius super caput meum et ad lumen eius ambulabam in tenebris
When his lamp shined over my head, And when by his light I walked through darkness!
4 sicut fui in diebus adulescentiae meae quando secreto Deus erat in tabernaculo meo
As I was in the autumn of my days, When the friendship of God was over my tent;
5 quando erat Omnipotens mecum et in circuitu meo pueri mei
When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were around me;
6 quando lavabam pedes meos butyro et petra fundebat mihi rivos olei
When I bathed my steps in milk, And the rock poured me out rivers of oil!
7 quando procedebam ad portam civitatis et in platea parabant cathedram mihi
When I went forth to the gate by the city, And took my seat in the market-place,
8 videbant me iuvenes et abscondebantur et senes adsurgentes stabant
The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged arose and stood.
9 principes cessabant loqui et digitum superponebant ori suo
The princes refrained from speaking, And laid their hand upon their mouth.
10 vocem suam cohibebant duces et lingua eorum gutturi suo adherebat
The nobles held their peace, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
11 auris audiens beatificabat me et oculus videns testimonium reddebat mihi
When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; And when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me.
12 quod liberassem pauperem vociferantem et pupillum cui non esset adiutor
For I delivered the poor, when they cried; And the fatherless, who had none to help him.
13 benedictio perituri super me veniebat et cor viduae consolatus sum
The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, And I caused the heart of the widow to sing for joy.
14 iustitia indutus sum et vestivit me sicut vestimento et diademate iudicio meo
I clothed myself with righteousness, and it clothed itself with me; And justice was my robe and diadem.
15 oculus fui caeco et pes claudo
I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame;
16 pater eram pauperum et causam quam nesciebam diligentissime investigabam
I was a father to the poor, And the cause of him I knew not I searched out;
17 conterebam molas iniqui et de dentibus illius auferebam praedam
And I broke the teeth of the wicked, And plucked the spoil from his jaws.
18 dicebamque in nidulo meo moriar et sicut palma multiplicabo dies
Then said I, “I shall die in my nest; I shall multiply my days as the sand.
19 radix mea aperta est secus aquas et ros morabitur in messione mea
My root is spread abroad to the waters, And the dew abideth on my branches.
20 gloria mea semper innovabitur et arcus meus in manu mea instaurabitur
My glory is fresh with me, And my bow gathereth strength in my hand.”
21 qui me audiebant expectabant sententiam et intenti tacebant ad consilium meum
To me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.
22 verbis meis addere nihil audebant et super illos stillabat eloquium meum
To my words they made no reply, When my speech dropped down upon them.
23 expectabant me sicut pluviam et os suum aperiebant quasi ad imbrem serotinum
Yea, they waited for me as for the rain; They opened their mouths wide as for the latter rain.
24 si quando ridebam ad eos non credebant et lux vultus mei non cadebat in terram
If I smiled upon them, they believed it not; Nor did they cause the light of my countenance to fall.
25 si voluissem ire ad eos sedebam primus cumque sederem quasi rex circumstante exercitu eram tamen maerentium consolator
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.
