Job 29

Wycliffe Bible

29 Also Job added, taking his parable, and said, (And Job added again to his parable, and said,)

² Who giveth to me, that I be beside the eld months, by the days in which God kept me? (Who giveth to me, that once more I be, like in the months gone by, yea, those days in which God looked after me?)

³ When his lantern shined on mine head, and I went in darknesses at his light (and I walked through the darkness by his light).

⁴ As I was in the days of my youth, when in private God was in my tabernacle (when privately, or secretly, God watched over my tent, or my home).

⁵ When Almighty God was with me, and my children were in my compass (and my children were all about me);

⁶ when I washed my feet in butter, and the stone shedded out to me the streams of oil; [(when I washed my feet with butter, and the stone poured out for me rivers of oil;)]

⁷ when I went forth to the gate of the city, and in the street they made ready a chair to me (and in the street they prepared a chair for me).

⁸ Young wanton men saw me, and were hid, and eld men rising up stood (and old men rose, and stood up to honour me);

⁹ princes ceased to speak, and they putted their finger on their mouth; (leaders ceased to speak, and they covered their mouths with their hands;)

¹⁰ dukes refrained their voice, and their tongue cleaved to their throat. (rulers refrained their voices, and their tongues cleaved to the roofs of their mouths.)

¹¹ The ear that heard me, blessed me, and the eye that saw me, yielded witnessing to me (bare witness for me/testified for me);

¹² for I delivered the poor man crying [out], and the fatherless child, that had no helper. (for I saved the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless child who had no helper.)

¹³ The blessing of a man (who was ready) to perish came (up)on me, and I comforted the heart of the widow.

¹⁴ I was clothed with rightfulness; and I clothed me as with a cloak, and with my doom a diadem. (I was clothed in righteousness, yea, it covered me; and my judgement was like a robe, and a crown.)

¹⁵ I was eye to a blind man, and foot to a crooked man. (I was an eye for the blind, and feet for the lame.)

¹⁶ I was a father of poor men; and I inquired most diligently the cause, which I knew not. (I was a father to the poor; and I inquired most diligently into their case, or their trouble, of which I knew not.)

¹⁷ I all-brake the great teeth of the wicked man (I broke the teeth of the wicked), and I took away the prey from his teeth.

¹⁸ And I said, I shall die in my nest; and as a palm tree I shall multiply my days (and my days shall be numbered like the sand/like the phoenix).

¹⁹ My root is opened beside (the) waters, and dew shall dwell in my reaping (and dew shall stay on my branches).

²⁰ My glory shall ever[more] be renewed (My glory shall be renewed forevermore), and my bow shall be restored in mine hand.

²¹ They, that heard me, abided my sentence; and they were attentive, or taking heed to me, and they were still at my counsel. (They, who heard me, waited for my pronouncement; and they were attentive, or taking heed to me, and they listened to what I said.)

²² They durst nothing add to my words (They dared add nothing to my words); and my speech dropped upon them.

²³ They abided me as (for the) rain; and they opened their mouth as to the soft rain coming late. (They waited for my words like for they waited for the rain; and they opened their mouths to drink them in, like the soft rain that cometh late.)

²⁴ If any time I laughed to them, they believed not; and the light of my cheer, that is, the gladness of my face, felled not down into the earth. (When I smiled on them, they took heart; and the light of my face, that is, the cheerfulness in my face towards them, encouraged them.)

²⁵ If I would go to them, I sat the first; and when I sat as [a] king, while the host stood about, nevertheless I was [the] comforter of them that mourned. (When I went to them, I was the first to sit; and when I sat like a king, while his army stood all around, I was the comforter of those who mourned.)