Chapter 29

  And Job again took up his parable, and said,  

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

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  When his lamp shined upon my head, And by his light I walked through darkness;  

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  As I was in the ripeness of my days, When the friendship of God was upon my tent;  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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  Then I said, I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand:  

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  My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lieth all night upon my branch;  

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  My glory is fresh in me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.  

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

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  After my words they spake not again; And my speech distilled upon them.  

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

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  I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they cast not down.  

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  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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