1 And Job again took up the word and said,
2 If only I might again be as I was in the months which are past, in the days when God was watching over me!
3 When his light was shining over my head, and when I went through the dark by his light.
4 As I was in my flowering years, when my tent was covered by the hand of God;
5 While the Ruler of all was still with me, and my children were round me;
6 When my steps were washed with milk, and rivers of oil were flowing out of the rock for me.
7 When I went out of my door to go up to the town, and took my seat in the public place,
8 The young men saw me, and went away, and the old men got up from their seats;
9 The rulers kept quiet, and put their hands on their mouths;
10 The chiefs kept back their words, and their tongues were joined to the roofs of their mouths.
11 For when it came to their ears, men said that I was truly happy; and when their eyes saw, they gave witness to me;
12 For I was a saviour to the poor when he was crying for help, to the child with no father, and to him who had no supporter.
13 The blessing of him who was near to destruction came on me, and I put a song of joy into the widow's heart.
14 I put on righteousness as my clothing, and was full of it; right decisions were to me a robe and a head-dress.
15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet to him who had no power of walking.
16 I was a father to the poor, searching out the cause of him who was strange to me.
17 By me the great teeth of the evil-doer were broken, and I made him give up what he had violently taken away.
18 Then I said, I will come to my end with my children round me, my days will be as the sand in number;
19 My root will be open to the waters, and the night mist will be on my branches,
20 My glory will be ever new, and my bow will be readily bent in my hand.
21 Men gave ear to me, waiting and keeping quiet for my suggestions.
22 After I had said what was in my mind, they were quiet and let my words go deep into their hearts;
23 They were waiting for me as for the rain, opening their mouths wide as for the spring rains.
24 I was laughing at them when they had no hope, and the light of my face was never clouded by their fear.
25 I took my place as a chief, guiding them on their way, and I was as a king among his army. ...
1 E GIOBBE riprese il suo ragionamento, e disse:
2 Oh! fossi io pure come a’ mesi di prima, Come al tempo che Iddio mi guardava!
3 Quando egli faceva rilucere la sua lampana sopra il mio capo, E quando io camminava al suo lume, per mezzo le tenebre;
4 Come io era al tempo della mia giovanezza, Mentre il consiglio di Dio governava il mio tabernacolo;
5 Mentre l’Onnipotente era ancora meco, E i miei famigli mi erano d’intorno;
6 Mentre io lavava i miei passi nel burro, E le rocce versavano presso di me de’ ruscelli d’olio
7 Quando io andava fuori alla porta per la città, O mi faceva porre il mio seggio in su la piazza,
8 I fanciulli, veggendomi, si nascondevano; E i vecchi si levavano, e stavano in piè;
9 I principali si rattenevano di parlare, E si mettevano la mano in su la bocca;
10 La voce de’ rettori era celata, E la lor lingua era attaccata al lor palato;
11 L’orecchio che mi udiva mi celebrava beato; L’occhio che mi vedeva mi rendeva testimonianza;
12 Perciocchè io liberava il povero che gridava, E l’orfano che non avea chi l’aiutasse.
13 La benedizione di chi periva veniva sopra me; Ed io faceva cantare il cuor della vedova.
14 Io mi vestiva di giustizia, ed ella altresì mi rivestiva; La mia dirittura mi era come un ammanto, e come una benda.
15 Io era occhi al cieco, E piedi allo zoppo.
16 Io era padre a’ bisognosi, E investigava la causa che mi era sconosciuta.
17 E rompeva i mascellari al perverso, E gli faceva gittar la preda d’infra i denti
18 Onde io diceva: Io morrò nel mio nido, E moltiplicherò i miei giorni come la rena.
19 La mia radice era aperta alle acque, E la rugiada era tutta la notte in su i miei rami.
20 La mia gloria si rinnovava in me, E il mio arco si rinforzava in mano mia.
21 Altri mi ascoltava, ed aspettava che io avessi parlato; E taceva al mio consiglio.
22 Dopo che io avea parlato, niuno replicava; E i miei ragionamenti stillavano sopra loro.
23 Essi mi aspettavano come la pioggia, Ed aprivano la bocca, come dietro alla pioggia della stagione della ricolta.
24 Se io rideva verso loro, essi nol credevano, E non facevano scader la chiarezza della mia faccia.
25 Se mi piaceva d’andar con loro, io sedeva in capo, Ed abitava con loro come un re fra le sue schiere, E come una persona che consola quelli che fanno cordoglio