Job 29

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¹Job resumed speaking and said,

²“Oh, that I were as I was in the past months when God cared for me,

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

⁴Oh, that I were as I was in the ripeness of my days when the friendship of God was on my tent,

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

⁶when my way was covered with cream, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!

⁷When I went out to the city gate, when I sat in my place in the city square,

⁸the young men saw me and kept their distance from me in respect, and the aged people rose and stood for me.

⁹The princes used to refrain from talking when I came; they would lay their hand on their mouths.

¹⁰The voices of the noblemen were hushed, and their tongue clung to the roof of their mouths.

¹¹For after their ears heard me, they would then bless me; after their eyes saw me, they would then give witness to me and approve of me

¹²because I rescued the one who was poor when he cried out, and the one who had no father when he had no one to help him.

¹³The blessing of him who was about to perish came on me; I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

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

¹⁵I was eyes to blind people; I was feet to lame people.

¹⁶I was a father to needy people; I would examine the case even of one whom I did not know.

¹⁷I broke the jaws of the unrighteous man; I plucked the victim out from between his teeth.

¹⁸Then I said, 'I will die in my nest; I will multiply my days like the grains of sand.

¹⁹My roots are spread out to the waters, and dew lies all night on my branches.

²⁰The honor in me is always fresh, and the bow of my strength is always new in my hand.'

²¹To me men listened; they waited for me; they stayed silent to hear my advice.

²²After my words were done, they did not speak again; my speech dropped like water on them.

²³They always waited for me as they waited for rain; they opened their mouth wide to drink in my words, as they would do for the latter rain.

²⁴I smiled on them when they did not expect it; they did not reject the light of my face.

²⁵I selected their way and sat as their chief; I lived like a king in his army, like one who comforts mourners.