Job 29

1 And Job addeth to lift up his simile, and saith: —

Job again took up his parable, and said,

2 Who doth make me as [in] months past, As [in] the days of God's preserving me?

“Oh that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me;

3 In His causing His lamp to shine on my head, By His light I walk [through] darkness.

when his lamp shone on my head, and by his light I walked through darkness,

4 As I have been in days of my maturity, And the counsel of God upon my tent.

as I was in my prime, when the friendship of God was in my tent,

5 When yet the Mighty One [is] with me. Round about me — my young ones,

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

6 When washing my goings with butter, And the firm rock [is] with me rivulets of oil.

when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out streams of oil for me,

7 When I go out to the gate by the city, In a broad place I prepare my seat.

when I went out to the city gate, when I prepared my seat in the street.

8 Seen me have youths, and they, been hidden, And the aged have risen — they stood up.

The young men saw me and hid themselves. The aged rose up and stood.

9 Princes have kept in words, And a hand they place on their mouth.

The princes refrained from talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.

10 The voice of leaders hath been hidden, And their tongue to the palate hath cleaved.

The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.

11 For the ear heard, and declareth me happy, And the eye hath seen, and testifieth [to] me.

For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me, and when the eye saw me, it commended me,

12 For I deliver the afflicted who is crying, And the fatherless who hath no helper.

because I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless also, who had no one to help him,

13 The blessing of the perishing cometh on me, And the heart of the widow I cause to sing.

the blessing of him who was ready to perish came on me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

14 Righteousness I have put on, and it clotheth me, As a robe and a diadem my justice.

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me. My justice was as a robe and a diadem.

15 Eyes I have been to the blind, And feet to the lame [am] I.

I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame.

16 A father I [am] to the needy, And the cause I have not known I search out.

I was a father to the needy. I researched the cause of him whom I didn’t know.

17 And I break the jaw-teeth of the perverse, And from his teeth I cast away prey.

I broke the jaws of the unrighteous and plucked the prey out of his teeth.

18 And I say, 'With my nest I expire, And as the sand I multiply days.'

Then I said, ‘I will die in my own house, I will count my days as the sand.

19 My root is open unto the waters, And dew doth lodge on my branch.

My root is spread out to the waters. The dew lies all night on my branch.

20 My honour [is] fresh with me, And my bow in my hand is renewed.

My glory is fresh in me. My bow is renewed in my hand.’

21 To me they have hearkened, Yea, they wait, and are silent for my counsel.

“Men listened to me, waited, and kept silence for my counsel.

22 After my word they change not, And on them doth my speech drop,

After my words they didn’t speak again. My speech fell on them.

23 And they wait as [for] rain for me, And their mouth they have opened wide [As] for the latter rain.

They waited for me as for the rain. Their mouths drank as with the spring rain.

24 I laugh unto them — they give no credence, And the light of my face cause not to fall.

I smiled on them when they had no confidence. They didn’t reject the light of my face.

25 I choose their way, and sit head, And I dwell as a king in a troop, When mourners he doth comfort.

I chose out their way, and sat as chief. I lived as a king in the army, as one who comforts the mourners.