1And Job continued his discourse:
1And Job continued to lift up his discourse, and he said,
2“How I long for the months gone by,
for the days when God watched over me,
2“Who will make me as in months past, as the days when God was keeping me?
3when His lamp shone above my head,
and by His light I walked through the darkness,
3In His lamp shining upon my head, by His light I walked through darkness,
4when I was in my prime,a
when the friendship of God rested on my tent,
4as I was in the days of my harvest time, when the counsel of God was upon my tent,
5when the Almighty was still with me
and my children were around me,
5when yet Shaddai was with me, my children around me,
6when my steps were bathed in cream
and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
6with the washing of my steps with cream, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
7When I went out to the city gate
and took my seat in the public square,
7Or in my going out to the gate upon the town, in the square I established my seat;
8the young men saw me and withdrew,
and the old men rose to their feet.
8the young men saw me and hid themselves, and old men arose and stood;
9The princes refrained from speaking
and covered their mouths with their hands.
9the princes refrained from words, and they put a hand on their mouth;
10The voices of the nobles were hushed,
and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.
10the voice of the nobles was hidden, and their tongue stuck to their palate.
11For those who heard me called me blessed,
and those who saw me commended me,
11For the ear heard and declared me blessed, and the eye saw and testified for me,
12because I rescued the poor who cried out
and the fatherless who had no helper.
12because I rescued the poor crying out, and the fatherless, and no one was helping him.
13The dying man blessed me,
and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
13The blessing of the one perishing came upon me, and the heart of the widow I caused to sing.
14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
justice was my robe and my turban.
14I clothed myself with righteousness, and it clothed me; like a robe and a turban was my justice.
15I served as eyes to the blind
and as feet to the lame.
15I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame.
16I was a father to the needy,
and I took up the case of the stranger.
16I was a father to the poor, and the case I did not know, I searched it out.
17I shattered the fangs of the unjust
and snatched the prey from his teeth.
17And I broke the fangs of the unjust, and I cast away the prey from his teeth.
18So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest
and multiply my days as the sand.
18So I said, ‘In my nest I will die, I will multiply my days as the sand.
19My roots will spread out to the waters,
and the dew will rest nightly on my branches.
19My root is open to the waters, and the dew lodges on my branch.
20My glory is ever new within me,
and my bow is renewed in my hand.’
20My glory is fresh within me, and my bow in my hand is renewed.’
21Men listened to me with expectation,
waiting silently for my counsel.
21They listened to me and waited, and they kept silent for my counsel.
22After my words, they spoke no more;
my speech settled on them like dew.
22After my word, they did not speak again, and my speech dripped upon them.
23They waited for me as for rain
and drank in my words like spring showers.
23And they waited for me as for the rain, and their mouth they opened wide, as for the spring rain.
24If I smiled at them, they did not believe it;
the light of my countenance was precious.
24I smiled at them, and they could not believe it, and the light of my face they did not let fall.
25I chose their course and presided as chief.
So I dwelt as a king among his troops,
as a comforter of the mourners.
25I chose their path and sat as chief, and I dwelt as a king with his band, like one who comforts the mourners.