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 shined 1upon my head,And by his light I walked through darkness;4As I was in 2the ripeness of my days,When the 3friendship of God was upon my tent;5When the Almighty was yet with me,And my children were about me;6When my steps were washed with butter,And the rock poured me out streams of oil!7When I went forth to the gate unto the city,When I prepared my seat in the 4street,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 5hushed,And their tongue cleaved 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 unto me:12Because I delivered the poor that cried,The fatherless also, 6that had none to help him.13The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me;And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.14I put on righteousness, and it 7clothed me:My justice was as a robe and a 8diadem.15I was eyes to the blind,And feet was I to the lame.16I was a father to the needy:And 9the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.17And I brake the 10jaws of the unrighteous,And plucked the prey out of his teeth.18Then I said, I shall die 11in my nest,And I shall multiply my days as the sand:19My root is 12spread out 13to the waters,And the dew lieth all night upon my branch:20My glory is fresh in me,And my bow is renewed in my hand.21Unto me men gave ear, and waited,And kept silence for my counsel.22After my words they spake not again;And my speech distilled upon 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 cast not down.25I chose out their way, and sat as chief,And dwelt as a king in the army,As one that comforteth the mourners.