1 And Job again *ch. 27:1;See Num. 23:7took 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 *ch. 18:6;2 Sam. 21:17;Ps. 18:28lamp shone upon my head,

and by his light I walked through darkness,

4 as I was in my prime,*29:4 Hebrew my autumn days

when the *Ps. 25:14;Prov. 3:32;See ch. 15:8friendship of God was upon my tent,

5 when the Almighty was yet with me,

when my *ch. 1:2;[Ps. 128:3]children were all around me,

6 when my steps were *[Gen. 49:11] washed with *ch. 20:17butter,

and *Deut. 32:13,14;Ps. 81:16the rock poured out for me streams of *[Deut. 33:24]oil!

7 When I went out to *See ch. 5:4the 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 *See ch. 21:5laid their hand on their mouth;

10 the voice of the nobles was hushed,

and their *Ps. 22:15;137:6;Lam. 4:4;Ezek. 3:26tongue 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 *Ps. 72:12delivered the poor who cried for help,

and the fatherless who had none to help him.

13 *ch. 31:20The blessing of him who was *Prov. 31:6;Isa. 27:13about to perish came upon me,

and I caused *[Ruth 2:20]the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

14 I *Ps. 132:9;Isa. 59:17;61:10;[Isa. 11:5;Eph. 6:14;1 Thess. 5:8] put on righteousness, and it clothed me;

my justice was like a robe and *Isa. 62:3;Zech. 3:5;[ch. 19:9]a turban.

15 I was *Num. 10:31eyes to the blind

and feet to the lame.

16 I was a father to the needy,

and I searched out *[Prov. 29:7]the cause of him whom I did not know.

17 I *Ps. 3:7broke *Ps. 58:6;Prov. 30:14the fangs of the unrighteous

and made him drop his prey from his teeth.

18 *[Ps. 30:6] Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my *Num. 24:21;See ch. 39:27nest,

and I shall multiply my days as *Gen. 22:17the sand,

19 my *ch. 18:16roots spread out to *See Ps. 1:3the waters,

with the dew all night on my *[ch. 14:9]branches,

20 my glory fresh with me,

and my *Gen. 49:24bow ever *[Isa. 40:31;41:1]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 *[Deut. 32:2;33:28]dropped upon them.

23 They waited for me as for the rain,

and they *Ps. 119:131;[Isa. 5:14] opened their mouths as for the *Prov. 16:15;Jer. 3:3;Zech. 10:1;[Deut. 11:14]spring rain.

24 I smiled on them when they had no confidence,

and *Prov. 16:15the light of my *Gen. 4:5face they did not cast down.

25 I chose their way and sat as chief,

and I lived like *ch. 15:24a king among his troops,

like one who comforts mourners.