Job 29

¹ And Job again took up the word and said,

² If only I might again be as I was in the months which are past, in the days when God was watching over me!

³ When his light was shining over my head, and when I went through the dark by his light.

⁴ As I was in my flowering years, when my tent was covered by the hand of God;

⁵ While the Ruler of all was still with me, and my children were round me;

⁶ When my steps were washed with milk, and rivers of oil were flowing out of the rock for me.

⁷ When I went out of my door to go up to the town, and took my seat in the public place,

⁸ The young men saw me, and went away, and the old men got up from their seats;

⁹ The rulers kept quiet, and put their hands on their mouths;

¹⁰ The chiefs kept back their words, and their tongues were joined to the roofs of their mouths.

¹¹ For when it came to their ears, men said that I was truly happy; and when their eyes saw, they gave witness to me;

¹² For I was a saviour to the poor when he was crying for help, to the child with no father, and to him who had no supporter.

¹³ The blessing of him who was near to destruction came on me, and I put a song of joy into the widow’s heart.

¹⁴ I put on righteousness as my clothing, and was full of it; right decisions were to me a robe and a head-dress.

¹⁵ I was eyes to the blind, and feet to him who had no power of walking.

¹⁶ I was a father to the poor, searching out the cause of him who was strange to me.

¹⁷ By me the great teeth of the evil-doer were broken, and I made him give up what he had violently taken away.

¹⁸ Then I said, I will come to my end with my children round me, my days will be as the sand in number;

¹⁹ My root will be open to the waters, and the night mist will be on my branches,

²⁰ My glory will be ever new, and my bow will be readily bent in my hand.

²¹ Men gave ear to me, waiting and keeping quiet for my suggestions.

²² After I had said what was in my mind, they were quiet and let my words go deep into their hearts;

²³ They were waiting for me as for the rain, opening their mouths wide as for the spring rains.

²⁴ I was laughing at them when they had no hope, and the light of my face was never clouded by their fear.

²⁵ I took my place as a chief, guiding them on their way, and I was as a king among his army. …