| 1 | And Job again took up his parable, 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 lamp shined upon my head, And by his light I walked through darkness; |
| 4 | As I was in the ripeness of my days, When the friendship of God was upon my tent; |
| 5 | When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were about me; |
| 6 | When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out streams of oil! |
| 7 | When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the street, |
| 8 | The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged rose up and stood; |
| 9 | The princes refrained from talking, And laid their hand on their mouth; |
| 10 | The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth. |
| 11 | For when the ear heard [me], then it blessed me; And when the eye saw [me], it gave witness unto me: |
| 12 | Because I delivered the poor that cried, The fatherless also, that had none to help him. |
| 13 | The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; And I caused the widow`s heart to sing for joy. |
| 14 | I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My justice was as a robe and a diadem. |
| 15 | I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame. |
| 16 | I was a father to the needy: And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out. |
| 17 | And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous, And plucked the prey out of his teeth. |
| 18 | Then I said, I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand: |
| 19 | My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lieth all night upon my branch; |
| 20 | My glory is fresh in me, And my bow is renewed in my hand. |
| 21 | Unto me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel. |
| 22 | After my words they spake not again; And my speech distilled upon them. |
| 23 | And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide [as] for the latter rain. |
| 24 | I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they cast not down. |
| 25 | I chose out their way, and sat [as] chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners. |
