Job 29 — American Standard Version

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