The Book of Job. The Harvard Classics. 190914. |
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XXIX |
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[1] | AND Job again took up his parable, and said, |
[2] | Oh that I were as in the months of old As in the days when God watched over me; |
[3] | When his lamp shined upon 1 my head. And by his light I walked through darkness; |
[4] | As I was in the 2 ripeness of my days, When the friendship 3 of God was upon my tent; |
[5] | When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were about me; |
[6] | When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out streams of oil! |
[7] | When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the street, 4 |
[8] | The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged rose up and stood; |
[9] | The princes refrained from talking, And laid their hand on their mouth; |
[10] | The voice of the nobles was hushed, 5 And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth. |
[11] | For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me; And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me: |
[12] | Because I delivered the poor that cried, The fatherless also, that 6 had none to help him. |
[13] | The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; And I caused the windows heart to sing for joy. |
[14] | I put on righteousness, and it clothed 7 me; My justice was as a robe and a diadem. 8 |
[15] | I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame. |
[16] | I was a father to the needy: And the 9 cause of him that I knew not I searched out. |
[17] | And I brake the jaws 10 of the unrighteous, And plucked the prey out of his teeth. |
[18] | Then I said, I shall die in 11 my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand: |
[19] | My root is spread 12 out to 13 the waters, And the dew lieth all night upon my branch: |
[20] | My glory is fresh in me, And my bow is renewed in my hand. |
[21] | Unto me men gave ear, and waited And kept silence for my counsel. |
[22] | After my words they spake not again; And my speech distilled upon them. |
[23] | And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain. |
[24] | I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they cast not down. |
[25] | I chose out their way, and sat as chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners. |
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