Job 29

¹ Job also added, taking up his parable, and said: ² Who will grant me, that I might be according to the months past, according to the days in which God kept me? ³ When his lamp shined over my head, and I walked by his light in darkness? ⁴ As I was in the days of my youth, when God was secretly in my tabernacle? ⁵ When the Almighty was with me: and my servants round about me? ⁶ When I washed my feet with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil? ⁷ When I went out to the gate of the city, and in the street they prepared me a chair? ⁸ The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the old men rose up and stood. ⁹ The princes ceased to speak, and laid the finger on their mouth. ¹⁰ The rulers held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to their throat. ¹¹ The ear that heard me blessed me, and the eye that saw me gave witness to me: ¹² Because I had delivered the poor man that cried out; and the fatherless that had no helper. ¹³ The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I comforted the heart of the widow. ¹⁴ I was clad with justice: and I clothed myself with my judgment, as with a robe and a diadem. ¹⁵ I was an eye to the blind, and a foot to the lame. ¹⁶ I was the father of the poor: and the cause which I knew not, I searched out most diligently. ¹⁷ I broke the jaws of the wicked man, and out of his teeth I took away the prey. ¹⁸ And I said: I shall die in my nest, and as a palm tree shall multiply my days. ¹⁹ My root is opened beside the waters, and dew shall continue in my harvest. ²⁰ My glory shall always be renewed, and my bow in my hand shall be repaired. ²¹ They that heard me, waited for my sentence, and being attentive held their peace at my counsel. ²² To my words they durst add nothing, and my speech dropped upon them. ²³ They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for a latter shower. ²⁴ If at any time I laughed on them, they believed not, and the light of my countenance fell not on earth. ²⁵ 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.