Job 29

Revised Geneva Translation

29 So Job proceeded, and continued his parable, saying,

² “Oh that I were as in times past, when God preserved me,

³ “when His light shined upon my head! By His light I walked through the darkness,

⁴ “as I was in the days of my youth, when God’s providence was upon my tabernacle,

⁵ “when the Almighty was still with me, and my children all around me,

⁶ “when I washed my paths with butter, and when the rock poured out rivers of oil for me.

⁷ “When I went out to the gate, to the judgment seat, I caused them to prepare my seat in the street.

⁸ “The young men saw me and hid themselves. And the aged arose, stood up.

⁹ “The princes stopped talking and laid their hand on their mouth.

¹⁰ “The voice of princes was hidden, and their tongue clung to the roof of their mouth.

¹¹ “And when the ear heard me, it blessed me. And when the eye saw, it gave witness to me.

¹² “For I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless, and him who had no one to help him.

¹³ “The blessing of him who was ready to perish came upon me. And I caused the widow’s heart to rejoice.

¹⁴ “I put on justice, and it covered me, my judgment as a robe and a crown.

¹⁵ “I was the eyes to the blind, and I was the feet to the lame.

¹⁶ “I was a father to the poor, and I did not know the cause. I sought it out diligently.

¹⁷ “I also broke the jaws of the unrighteous man and plucked the prey out of his teeth.

¹⁸ “Then I said, ‘I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply days as the sand.

¹⁹ ‘My root is spread out by the water, and the dew shall lie upon my branch.

²⁰ ‘My glory shall renew toward me, and my bow shall be restored in my hand.’

²¹ “Men gave ear to me, and waited, and held their tongue at my counsel.

²² “After my words they did not reply, and my talk dropped upon them.

²³ “And they waited for me, as for the rain. And they opened their mouth as for the latter rain.

²⁴ “I laughed at them. They did not believe it. Nor did they cause the light of my countenance to fall.

²⁵ “I pointed out their way, and sat as chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, like him who comforts the mourners.”