Job 29

1 Job again took up his parable, and said,

ἔτι δὲ προσθεὶς Ιωβ εἶπεν τῷ προοιμίῳ

2 “Oh that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me;

τίς ἄν με θείη κατὰ μῆνα ἔμπροσθεν ἡμερῶν ὧν με ὁ θεὸς ἐφύλαξεν

3 when his lamp shone on my head, and by his light I walked through darkness,

ὡς ὅτε ηὔγει ὁ λύχνος αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς μου ὅτε τῷ φωτὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπορευόμην ἐν σκότει

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

ὅτε ἤμην ἐπιβρίθων ὁδοῖς ὅτε ὁ θεὸς ἐπισκοπὴν ἐποιεῖτο τοῦ οἴκου μου

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

ὅτε ἤμην ὑλώδης λίαν κύκλῳ δέ μου οἱ παῖδες

6 when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out streams of oil for me,

ὅτε ἐχέοντό μου αἱ ὁδοὶ βουτύρῳ τὰ δὲ ὄρη μου ἐχέοντο γάλακτι

7 when I went out to the city gate, when I prepared my seat in the street.

ὅτε ἐξεπορευόμην ὄρθριος ἐν πόλει ἐν δὲ πλατείαις ἐτίθετό μου ὁ δίφρος

8 The young men saw me and hid themselves. The aged rose up and stood.

ἰδόντες με νεανίσκοι ἐκρύβησαν πρεσβῦται δὲ πάντες ἔστησαν

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

ἁδροὶ δὲ ἐπαύσαντο λαλοῦντες δάκτυλον ἐπιθέντες ἐπὶ στόματι

10 The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.

οἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες ἐμακάρισάν με καὶ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν τῷ λάρυγγι αὐτῶν ἐκολλήθη

11 For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me, and when the eye saw me, it commended me,

ὅτι οὖς ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐμακάρισέν με ὀφθαλμὸς δὲ ἰδών με ἐξέκλινεν

12 because I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless also, who had no one to help him,

διέσωσα γὰρ πτωχὸν ἐκ χειρὸς δυνάστου καὶ ὀρφανῷ ᾧ οὐκ ἦν βοηθός ἐβοήθησα

13 the blessing of him who was ready to perish came on me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

εὐλογία ἀπολλυμένου ἐπ’ ἐμὲ ἔλθοι στόμα δὲ χήρας με εὐλόγησεν

14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me. My justice was as a robe and a diadem.

δικαιοσύνην δὲ ἐνεδεδύκειν ἠμφιασάμην δὲ κρίμα ἴσα διπλοΐδι

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

ὀφθαλμὸς ἤμην τυφλῶν ποὺς δὲ χωλῶν

16 I was a father to the needy. I researched the cause of him whom I didn’t know.

ἐγὼ ἤμην πατὴρ ἀδυνάτων δίκην δέ ἣν οὐκ ᾔδειν ἐξιχνίασα

17 I broke the jaws of the unrighteous and plucked the prey out of his teeth.

συνέτριψα δὲ μύλας ἀδίκων ἐκ δὲ μέσου τῶν ὀδόντων αὐτῶν ἅρπαγμα ἐξέσπασα

18 Then I said, ‘I will die in my own house, I will count my days as the sand.

εἶπα δέ ἡ ἡλικία μου γηράσει ὥσπερ στέλεχος φοίνικος πολὺν χρόνον βιώσω

19 My root is spread out to the waters. The dew lies all night on my branch.

ἡ ῥίζα μου διήνοικται ἐπὶ ὕδατος καὶ δρόσος αὐλισθήσεται ἐν τῷ θερισμῷ μου

20 My glory is fresh in me. My bow is renewed in my hand.’

ἡ δόξα μου καινὴ μετ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ τὸ τόξον μου ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ πορεύσεται

21 “Men listened to me, waited, and kept silence for my counsel.

ἐμοῦ ἀκούσαντες προσέσχον ἐσιώπησαν δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ἐμῇ βουλῇ

22 After my words they didn’t speak again. My speech fell on them.

ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ ἐμῷ ῥήματι οὐ προσέθεντο περιχαρεῖς δὲ ἐγίνοντο ὁπόταν αὐτοῖς ἐλάλουν

23 They waited for me as for the rain. Their mouths drank as with the spring rain.

ὥσπερ γῆ διψῶσα προσδεχομένη τὸν ὑετόν οὕτως οὗτοι τὴν ἐμὴν λαλιάν

24 I smiled on them when they had no confidence. They didn’t reject the light of my face.

ἐὰν γελάσω πρὸς αὐτούς οὐ μὴ πιστεύσωσιν καὶ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου μου οὐκ ἀπέπιπτεν

25 I chose out their way, and sat as chief. I lived as a king in the army, as one who comforts the mourners.

ἐξελεξάμην ὁδὸν αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκάθισα ἄρχων καὶ κατεσκήνουν ὡσεὶ βασιλεὺς ἐν μονοζώνοις ὃν τρόπον παθεινοὺς παρακαλῶν