29:1  And Job again took up his discourse and said,

29:2  "Oh that I were as in months gone by, As in the days when God watched over me;

29:3  When His lamp shone over my head, {And} by His light I walked through darkness;

29:4  As I was in the prime of my days, When the friendship of God {was} over my tent;

29:5  When the Almighty was yet with me, {And} my children were around me;

29:6  When my steps were bathed in butter, And the rock poured out for me streams of oil!

29:7  "When I went out to the gate of the city, When I took my seat in the square,

29:8  The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the old men arose {and} stood.

29:9  "The princes stopped talking And put {their} hands on their mouths;

29:10  The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue stuck to their palate.

29:11  "For when the ear heard, it called me blessed, And when the eye saw, it gave witness of me,

29:12  Because I delivered the poor who cried for help, And the orphan who had no helper.

29:13  "The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me, And I made the widow's heart sing for joy.

29:14  "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban.

29:15  "I was eyes to the blind And feet to the lame.

29:16  "I was a father to the needy, And I investigated the case which I did not know.

29:17  "I broke the jaws of the wicked And snatched the prey from his teeth.

29:18  "Then I thought, `I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply {my} days as the sand.

29:19  `My root is spread out to the waters, And dew lies all night on my branch.

29:20  `My glory is {ever} new with me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.'

29:21  "To me they listened and waited, And kept silent for my counsel.

29:22  "After my words they did not speak again, And my speech dropped on them.

29:23  "They waited for me as for the rain, And opened their mouth as for the spring rain.

29:24  "I smiled on them when they did not believe, And the light of my face they did not cast down.

29:25  "I chose a way for them and sat as chief, And dwelt as a king among the troops, As one who comforted the mourners.