Job 29

1 And Job continued his parable and said,

Job went on speaking.

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

“I wish I was back in the old days when God looked after me!

3 When his lamp shone over my head, [and] by his light I walked through darkness;

His light shone above me and lit my way through the darkness.

4 As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret counsel of God was over my tent,

When I was young and strong, God was my friend and spoke to me in my home.

5 When the Almighty was yet with me, my young men round about me;

The Almighty was still with me and I was surrounded with my children.

6 When my steps were bathed in milk, and the rock poured out beside me rivers of oil! ...

My herds produced much milk, and oil flowed freely from my olive presses.

7 When I went out to the gate by the city, when I prepared my seat on the broadway,

I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square.

8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves; and the aged arose [and] stood up;

The young men saw me and moved out of the way; the elders would stand up for me.

9 Princes refrained from talking, and laid the hand on their mouth;

The leaders remained silent and covered their mouths with their hands.

10 The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue cleaved to their palate.

The voices of the officials were hushed; they held their tongues in my presence.

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

Everyone who listened to me praised me; whoever saw me commended me,

12 For I delivered the afflicted that cried, and the fatherless who had no helper.

because I gave to the poor who called out to me and the orphans who had no one to help them.

13 The blessing of him that was perishing came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

Those who were about to die blessed me; I made the widow sing for joy.

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

Being true and acting right were what I wore for clothing.

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

I was like eyes for the blind and feet for the lame.

16 I was a father to the needy, and the cause which I knew not I searched out;

I was like a father to the poor, and I defended the rights of strangers.

17 And I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.

I broke the jaw of the wicked and made them drop their prey from their teeth.

18 And I said, I shall die in my nest, and multiply my days as the sand;

I thought I would die at home, after many years.

19 My root shall be spread out to the waters, and the dew will lie all night on my branch;

Like a tree my roots spread out to the water; the dew rests on my branches overnight.

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

Fresh honors were always being given to me; my strength was renewed like an unfailing bow.

21 Unto me they listened, and waited, and kept silence for my counsel:

People listened carefully to what I had to say; they kept quiet as they listened to my advice.

22 After my words they spoke not again, and my speech dropped upon them;

Once I had spoken they had nothing else to say; what I said was enough.

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

They waited for me like people waiting for rain; their mouths wide open for the spring rain.

24 [If] I laughed on them, they believed [it] not; and they troubled not the serenity of my countenance.

When I smiled at them they could hardly believe it; my approval meant all the world to them.

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

I decided the way forward as their leader, living like a king among his soldiers, and when they were sad I comforted them.