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 shone on my head, And by his light I walked through darkness;
4As I was in the ripeness of my days, When the friendship of God was on my tent;
5When the Almighty was still with me, And my children were around me;
6When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out streams of oil!
7When I went out to the gate to 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 from talking, And laid their hand on their mouth;
10The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue clung 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 to me:
12Because I delivered the poor who cried, The fatherless also, who had none to help him.
13The blessing of him who 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 I was to the lame.
16I was a father to the needy: And the cause of him whom I did not know I searched out.
17And I broke 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 lies all night on my branch:
20My glory is fresh in me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.
21To me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.
22After my words they did not speak again; And my speech distilled on them.
23And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.
24I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they did not cast down.
25I chose out their way, and sat as chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one who comforts the mourners.