Job 29

¹And Job again took up his parable, and said, ²Oh that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me; ³When his lamp shined upon my head, and by his light I walked through darkness; ⁴As I was in the ripeness of my days, when the secret of God was upon my tent; ⁵When the Almighty was yet with me, and my children were about me; ⁶When my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil! ⁷When I went forth to the gate unto the city, when I prepared my seat in the street, ⁸The young men saw me and hid themselves, and the aged rose up and stood; ⁹The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth; ¹⁰The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth. ¹¹For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me: ¹²Because I delivered the poor that cried, the fatherless also, that had none to help him. ¹³The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. ¹⁴I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my justice was as a robe and a diadem. ¹⁵I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. ¹⁶I was a father to the needy: and the cause of him that I knew not I searched out. ¹⁷And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the prey out of his teeth. ¹⁸Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand: ¹⁹My root is spread out to the waters, and the dew lieth all night upon my branch: ²⁰My glory is fresh in me, and my bow is renewed in my hand. ²¹Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence for my counsel. ²²After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them. ²³And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain. ²⁴If I laughed on them, they believed itnot; and the light of my countenance they cast not down. ²⁵I chose out their way, and sat aschief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.