Job’s Past Was Glorious

29 Job again took up his (A)discourse and said,

“Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God (B)watched over me;
When (C)His lamp shone over my head,
And (D)by His light I walked through darkness;
Just as I was in the days of my youth,
When the (E)protection of God was over my tent;
When [a]the Almighty was still with me,
And my children were around me;
When my steps were bathed in (F)cream,
And the (G)rock poured out streams of oil for me!
When I went out to (H)the gate of the city,
When I [b]took my seat in the public square,
The young men saw me and hid themselves,
And the old men arose and stood.
The leaders (I)stopped talking
And (J)put their hands on their mouths;
10 The voices of the prominent people were [c](K)hushed,
And their (L)tongues stuck to their palates.
11 For when (M)an ear heard, it called me blessed,
And when an eye saw, it testified in support of me,
12 Because I saved (N)the poor who cried for help,
And the (O)orphan who had no helper.
13 The blessing of the one who (P)was about to perish came upon me,
And I made the (Q)widow’s heart sing for joy.
14 I (R)put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a headband.
15 I was (S)eyes to those who were blind,
And feet to those who [d]could not walk.
16 I was a father to (T)the poor,
And I investigated the case which I did not know.
17 I (U)broke the jaws of the wicked
And rescued the prey from his teeth.
18 Then I [e]thought, ‘I will die with my [f]family,
And I will multiply my days as the sand.
19 My (V)root is spread out to the waters,
And (W)dew lies on my branch all night.
20 My glory is ever new with me,
And my (X)bow is renewed in my hand.’

21 “To me (Y)they listened and waited,
And they kept silent for my advice.
22 After my words (Z)they did not speak again,
And (AA)my speech dropped on them.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
And opened their mouths as for the late rain.
24 I smiled at them when they did not believe,
And they did not look at [g]my kindness ungraciously.
25 I chose a way for them and sat as (AB)chief,
And lived as a king among the troops,
As one who (AC)comforted the mourners.

Footnotes

  1. Job 29:5 Heb Shaddai
  2. Job 29:7 Lit set up
  3. Job 29:10 Lit hidden
  4. Job 29:15 Or limped
  5. Job 29:18 Lit said
  6. Job 29:18 Lit nest
  7. Job 29:24 Lit the light of my face

Job Continues

I Long for the Past

29 Job said:
I long for the past,
    when God took care of me,
and the light from his lamp
showed me the way
    through the dark.
I was in the prime of life,
God All-Powerful
    was my closest friend,
and all of my children
    were nearby.
My herds gave enough milk
    to bathe my feet,
and from my olive harvest
    flowed rivers of oil.
* When I sat down at the meeting
    of the city council,
the young leaders stepped aside,
* while the older ones stood
10     and remained silent.

Everyone Was Pleased

11 Everyone was pleased
    with what I said and did.
12 When poor people or orphans
cried out for help,
    I came to their rescue.
13 And I was highly praised
for my generosity to widows
    and others in poverty.
14 Kindness and justice
    were my coat and hat;
15 I was helpful to the blind
    and to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy,
and I defended them in court,
    even if they were strangers.
17 When criminals attacked,
I broke their teeth
    and set their victims free.

18 I felt certain that I would live
a long and happy life,
    then die in my own bed.
19 In those days I was strong
    like a tree with deep roots
and with plenty of water,
20     or like an archer's new bow.
21 Everyone listened in silence
    to my welcome advice,
22 and when I finished speaking,
    nothing needed to be said.
23 My words were eagerly accepted
    like the showers of spring,
24 and the smile on my face
    renewed everyone's hopes.
25 My advice was followed
as though I were a king
    leading my troops,
or someone comforting
    those in sorrow.