Job 29

¹Job also added, taking up his parable, and said:

²Who will grant me, that I might be according to the months past, according to the days in which God kept me?

³When his lamp shined over my head, and I walked by his light in darkness?

⁴As I was in the days of my youth, when God was secretly in my tabernacle?

⁵When the Almighty was with me: and my servants round about me?

⁶When I washed my feet with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil?

⁷When I went out to the gate of the city, and in the street they prepared me a chair?

⁸The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the old men rose up and stood.

⁹The princes ceased to speak, and laid the finger on their mouth.

¹⁰The rulers held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to their throat.

¹¹The ear that heard me blessed me, and the eye that saw me gave witness to me:

¹²Because I had delivered the poor man that cried out; and the fatherless, that had no helper.

¹³The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I comforted the heart of the widow.

¹⁴I was clad with justice: and I clothed myself with my judgment, as with a robe and a diadem.

¹⁵I was an eye to the blind, and a foot to the lame.

¹⁶I was the father of the poor: and the cause which I knew not, I searched out most diligently.

¹⁷I broke the jaws of the wicked man, and out of his teeth I took away the prey.

¹⁸And I said: I shall die in my nest, and as a palm tree shall multiply my days.

¹⁹My root is opened beside the waters, and dew shall continue in my harvest.

²⁰My glory shall always be renewed, and my bow in my hand shall be repaired.

²¹They that heard me, waited for my sentence, and being attentive held their peace at my counsel.

²²To my words they durst add nothing, and my speech dropped upon them.

²³They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for a latter shower.

²⁴If at any time I laughed on them, they believed not, and the light of my countenance fell not on earth.

²⁵If I had a mind to go to them, I sat first, and when I sat as a king, with his army standing about him, yet I was a comforter of them that mourned.

Job 29

¹Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

²Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;

³When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;

⁴As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;

⁵When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me;

⁶When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;

⁷When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!

⁸The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.

⁹The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.

¹⁰The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.

¹¹When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:

¹²Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.

¹³The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

¹⁴I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.

¹⁵I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.

¹⁶I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.

¹⁷And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.

¹⁸Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.

¹⁹My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.

²⁰My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.

²¹Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.

²²After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.

²³And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

²⁴If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.

²⁵I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.