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.
