Job 29
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1 And Job again took up his parable, and said,
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2 Oh that I were as in the months of old, As in the days when God watched over me;
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3 When his lamp shined upon my head, And by his light I walked through darkness;
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4 As I was in the ripeness of my days, When the friendship of God was upon my tent;
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5 When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were about me;
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6 When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out streams of oil!
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7 When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the street,
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8 The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged rose up and stood;
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9 The princes refrained from talking, And laid their hand on their mouth;
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10 The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
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11 For when the ear heard [me], then it blessed me; And when the eye saw [me], it gave witness unto me:
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12 Because I delivered the poor that cried, The fatherless also, that had none to help him.
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13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
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14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My justice was as a robe and a diadem.
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15 I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame.
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16 I was a father to the needy: And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.
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17 And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous, And plucked the prey out of his teeth.
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18 Then I said, I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand:
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19 My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lieth all night upon my branch:
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20 My glory is fresh in me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.
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21 Unto me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.
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22 After my words they spake not again; And my speech distilled upon them.
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23 And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide [as] for the latter rain.
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24 I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they cast not down.
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25 I chose out their way, and sat [as] chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners.