Job 29 — parallel

29:1

And Job again took up his parable, and said:

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29:2

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

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29:3

When His lamp shined above my head, And by His light I walked through darkness;

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29:4

As I was in the days of my youth, When the converse of God was upon my tent;

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29:5

When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were about me;

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29:6

When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out rivers of oil!

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29:7

When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the broad place,

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29:8

The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged rose up and stood;

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29:9

The princes refrained talking, And laid their hand on their mouth;

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29:10

The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.

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29:11

For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me;

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29:12

Because I delivered the poor that cried, The fatherless also, that had none to help him.

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29:13

The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

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29:14

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

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29:15

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

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29:16

I was a father to the needy; And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.

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29:17

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

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29:18

Then I said: ‘I shall die with my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the phoenix;

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29:19

My root shall be spread out to the waters, And the dew shall lie all night upon my branch;

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29:20

My glory shall be fresh in me, And my bow shall be renewed in my hand.’

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29:21

Unto me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.

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29:22

After my words they spoke not again; And my speech dropped upon them.

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29:23

And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

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29:24

If I laughed on them, they believed it not; And the light of my countenance they cast not down.

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29:25

I chose out their way, and sat as chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners.

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