Aa
Job’s Past Was Glorious
1Job again took up his discourse and said,
2“Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God watched over me;
3When His lamp shone over my head,
And by His light I walked through darkness;
4Just as I was in the days of my youth,
When the protection of God was over my tent;
5When Heb Shaddaithe Almighty was still with me,
And my children were around me;
6When my steps were bathed in cream,
And the rock poured out streams of oil for me!
7When I went out to the gate of the city,
When I Lit set uptook my seat in the public square,
8The young men saw me and hid themselves,
And the old men arose and stood.
9The leaders stopped talking
And put their hands on their mouths;
10The voices of the prominent people were Lit hiddenhushed,
And their tongues stuck to their palates.
11For when an ear heard, it called me blessed,
And when an eye saw, it testified in support of me,
12Because I saved the poor who cried for help,
And the orphan who had no helper.
13The blessing of the one who was about to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a headband.
15I was eyes to those who were blind,
And feet to those who Or limpedcould not walk.
16I was a father to the poor,
And I investigated the case which I did not know.
17I broke the jaws of the wicked
And rescued the prey from his teeth.
18Then I Lit saidthought, ‘I will die with my Lit nestfamily,
And I will multiply my days as the sand.
19My root is spread out to the waters,
And dew lies on my branch all night.
20My glory is ever new with me,
And my bow is renewed in my hand.’
21“To me they listened and waited,
And they kept silent for my advice.
22After my words they did not speak again,
And my speech dropped on them.
23They waited for me as for the rain,
And opened their mouths as for the late rain.
24I smiled at them when they did not believe,
And they did not look at Lit the light of my facemy kindness ungraciously.
25I chose a way for them and sat as chief,
And lived as a king among the troops,
As one who comforted the mourners.