Job, 29

¹ And Job proceeded again to lift up his proverbial utterance and went on to say:

² “O that I were as in the lunar months of long ago, As in the days when God^*1 was guarding me;

³ When he caused his lamp to shine upon my head, [When] I would walk [through] darkness by his light;

⁴ Just as I happened to be in the days of my prime, When intimacy with God was at my tent;

⁵ When the Almighty was yet with me, [When] my attendants were all around me!

⁶ When I washed my steps in butter, And the rock kept pouring out streams of oil for me;^*1

⁷ When I went forth to the gate by the town, In the public square I would prepare my seat!

⁸ The boys saw me and hid themselves, And even the aged ones rose up, they stood.

⁹ Princes themselves restrained words, And the palm they would put upon their mouth.

¹⁰ The voice of the leaders themselves was hidden, And their very tongue cleaved to their palate.

¹¹ For the ear itself listened and proceeded to pronounce me happy, And the eye itself saw and proceeded to bear witness for me.

¹² For I would rescue the afflicted one crying for help, And the fatherless boy and anyone that had no helper.

¹³ The blessing of the one about to perish—upon me it would come, And the heart of the widow I would make glad.

¹⁴ With righteousness I clothed myself, and it was clothing me. My justice was like a sleeveless coat—and a turban.

¹⁵ Eyes I became to the blind one; And feet to the lame one I was.

¹⁶ I was a real father to the poor ones; And the legal case of one whom I did not know—I would examine it.

¹⁷ And I would break the jawbones of the wrongdoer, And from his teeth I would tear^*1 away the prey.

¹⁸ And I used to say, ‘Within my nest^*1 I shall expire, And like the grains of sand I shall multiply [my] days.

¹⁹ My root is opened for the waters, And dew itself will stay overnight upon my bough.

²⁰ My glory is fresh with me, And my bow in my hand will shoot repeatedly.’

²¹ To me they listened; and they waited, And they would keep silent for my counsel.

²² After my word they would not speak again, And upon them my word would drip.

²³ And they waited for me as for the rain, And their mouth they opened wide for the spring rain.

²⁴ I would smile at them—they would not believe [it]— And the light of my face they would not cast down.

²⁵ I would choose the way for them, and I was sitting as head; And I resided as a king among [his] troops, As one who comforts the mourners.