Job 29

Job’s Summary Defense

1 And Job again a took up his discourse, and said:

2  “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
as in the days when God watched over me,
 3 when his b lamp shone upon my head,
and by his light I walked through darkness,
 4 as I was in my prime ▼
▼ Hebrew  my autumn days

when the d friendship of God was upon my tent,
 5 when the Almighty was yet with me,
when my e children were all around me,
 6 when my steps were f washed with g butter,
and h the rock poured out for me streams of i oil!
 7 When I went out to j the gate of the city,
when I prepared my seat in the square,
 8 the young men saw me and withdrew,
and the aged rose and stood;
 9 the princes refrained from talking
and k laid their hand on their mouth;
 10 the voice of the nobles was hushed,
and their l tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
 11 When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
and when the eye saw, it approved,
 12 because I m delivered the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to help him.
 13  n The blessing of him who was o about to perish came upon me,
and I caused p the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
 14 I q put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
my justice was like a robe and r a turban.
 15 I was s eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
 16 I was a father to the needy,
and I searched out t the cause of him whom I did not know.
 17 I u broke v the fangs of the unrighteous
and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
 18  w Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my x nest,
and I shall multiply my days as y the sand,
 19 my z roots spread out to aa the waters,
with the dew all night on my ab branches,
 20 my glory fresh with me,
and my ac bow ever ad new in my hand.’
 21  “Men listened to me and waited
and kept silence for my counsel.
 22 After I spoke they did not speak again,
and my word ae dropped upon them.
 23 They waited for me as for the rain,
and they af opened their mouths as for the ag spring rain.
 24 I smiled on them when they had no confidence,
and ah the light of my ai face they did not cast down.
 25 I chose their way and sat as chief,
and I lived like aj a king among his troops,
like one who comforts mourners.
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