Job 29
1 And Job addeth to lift up his simile, and saith: —
Job also added, taking up his parable, and said:
2 Who doth make me as [in] months past, As [in] the days of God's preserving me?
Who will grant me, that I might be according to the months past, according to the days in which God kept me?
3 In His causing His lamp to shine on my head, By His light I walk [through] darkness.
When his lamp shined over my head, and I walked by his light in darkness?
4 As I have been in days of my maturity, And the counsel of God upon my tent.
As I was in the days of my youth, when God was secretly in my tabernacle?
5 When yet the Mighty One [is] with me. Round about me — my young ones,
When the Almighty was with me: and my servants round about me?
6 When washing my goings with butter, And the firm rock [is] with me rivulets of oil.
When I washed my feet with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil?
7 When I go out to the gate by the city, In a broad place I prepare my seat.
When I went out to the gate of the city, and in the street they prepared me a chair?
8 Seen me have youths, and they, been hidden, And the aged have risen — they stood up.
The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the old men rose up and stood.
9 Princes have kept in words, And a hand they place on their mouth.
The princes ceased to speak, and laid the finger on their mouth.
10 The voice of leaders hath been hidden, And their tongue to the palate hath cleaved.
The rulers held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to their throat.
11 For the ear heard, and declareth me happy, And the eye hath seen, and testifieth [to] me.
The ear that heard me blessed me, and the eye that saw me gave witness to me:
12 For I deliver the afflicted who is crying, And the fatherless who hath no helper.
Because I had delivered the poor man that cried out; and the fatherless that had no helper.
13 The blessing of the perishing cometh on me, And the heart of the widow I cause to sing.
The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I comforted the heart of the widow.
14 Righteousness I have put on, and it clotheth me, As a robe and a diadem my justice.
I was clad with justice: and I clothed myself with my judgment, as with a robe and a diadem.
15 Eyes I have been to the blind, And feet to the lame [am] I.
I was an eye to the blind, and a foot to the lame.
16 A father I [am] to the needy, And the cause I have not known I search out.
I was the father of the poor: and the cause which I knew not, I searched out most diligently.
17 And I break the jaw-teeth of the perverse, And from his teeth I cast away prey.
I broke the jaws of the wicked man, and out of his teeth I took away the prey.
18 And I say, 'With my nest I expire, And as the sand I multiply days.'
And I said: I shall die in my nest, and as a palm tree shall multiply my days.
19 My root is open unto the waters, And dew doth lodge on my branch.
My root is opened beside the waters, and dew shall continue in my harvest.
20 My honour [is] fresh with me, And my bow in my hand is renewed.
My glory shall always be renewed, and my bow in my hand shall be repaired.
21 To me they have hearkened, Yea, they wait, and are silent for my counsel.
They that heard me, waited for my sentence, and being attentive held their peace at my counsel.
22 After my word they change not, And on them doth my speech drop,
To my words they durst add nothing, and my speech dropped upon them.
23 And they wait as [for] rain for me, And their mouth they have opened wide [As] for the latter rain.
They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for a latter shower.
24 I laugh unto them — they give no credence, And the light of my face cause not to fall.
If at any time I laughed on them, they believed not, and the light of my countenance fell not on earth.
25 I choose their way, and sit head, And I dwell as a king in a troop, When mourners he doth comfort.
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.
