Job 29

1 And Job addeth to lift up his simile, and saith: —

Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

2 Who doth make me as [in] months past, As [in] the days of God's preserving me?

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

3 In His causing His lamp to shine on my head, By His light I walk [through] darkness.

When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through 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 the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;

5 When yet the Mighty One [is] with me. Round about me — my young ones,

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

6 When washing my goings with butter, And the firm rock [is] with me rivulets of oil.

When I washed my steps 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 through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!

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 aged arose, and stood up.

9 Princes have kept in words, And a hand they place on their mouth.

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

10 The voice of leaders hath been hidden, And their tongue to the palate hath cleaved.

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

11 For the ear heard, and declareth me happy, And the eye hath seen, and testifieth [to] me.

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

12 For I deliver the afflicted who is crying, And the fatherless who hath no helper.

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

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 caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

14 Righteousness I have put on, and it clotheth me, As a robe and a diadem my justice.

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

15 Eyes I have been to the blind, And feet to the lame [am] I.

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

16 A father I [am] to the needy, And the cause I have not known I search out.

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

17 And I break the jaw-teeth of the perverse, And from his teeth I cast away prey.

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

18 And I say, 'With my nest I expire, And as the sand I multiply days.'

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

19 My root is open unto the waters, And dew doth lodge on my branch.

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

20 My honour [is] fresh with me, And my bow in my hand is renewed.

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

21 To me they have hearkened, Yea, they wait, and are silent for my counsel.

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

22 After my word they change not, And on them doth my speech drop,

After my words they spoke not again; 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.

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

24 I laugh unto them — they give no credence, And the light of my face cause not to fall.

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

25 I choose their way, and sit head, And I dwell as a king in a troop, When mourners he doth comfort.

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