Job 29

1 And Job continued his discourse:

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

2 “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me,

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

3 when His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through the darkness,

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

4 when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God rested on my tent,

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

5 when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me,

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

6 when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!

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

7 When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square,

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

8 the young men saw me and withdrew, and the old men rose to their feet.

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

9 The princes refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands.

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

10 The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.

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

11 For those who heard me called me blessed, and those who saw me commended me,

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

12 because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper.

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

13 The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

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

14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; justice was my robe and my turban.

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

15 I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame.

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

16 I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.

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

17 I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth.

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

18 So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest and multiply my days as the sand.

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

19 My roots will spread out to the waters, and the dew will rest nightly on my branches.

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

20 My glory is ever new within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.’

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

21 Men listened to me with expectation, waiting silently for my counsel.

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

22 After my words, they spoke no more; my speech settled on them like dew.

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

23 They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers.

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

24 If I smiled at them, they did not believe it; the light of my countenance was precious.

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

25 I chose their course and presided as chief. So I dwelt as a king among his troops, as a comforter of the mourners.

If 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.