5 When the Almighty
was yet with me,
When my children
were around me;
6 When
a my steps were bathed with cream,
And
b the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!
‡
7 “When I went out to the gate by the city,
When I took my seat in the open square,
8 The young men saw me and hid,
And the aged arose
and stood;
9 The princes refrained from talking,
And
a put
their hand on their mouth;
‡
10 The voice of nobles was hushed,
And their
a tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
‡
11 When the ear heard, then it blessed me,
And when the eye saw, then it approved me;
12 Because
a I delivered the poor who cried out,
The fatherless and
the one who had no helper.
‡
13 The blessing of a perishing
man came upon me,
And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
14 a I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice
was like a robe and a turban.
‡
15 I
was a eyes to the blind,
And I
was feet to the lame.
‡
16 I
was a father to the poor,
And
a I searched out the case
that I did not know.
‡
17 I broke
a the fangs of the wicked,
And plucked the victim from his teeth.
‡
18 “Then I said,
a ‘I shall die in my nest,
And multiply
my days as the sand.
‡
19 a My root
is spread out
b to the waters,
And the dew lies all night on my branch.
‡
New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
