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

² O that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me,

³ when his lamp shone upon my head, and by his light I walked through darkness,

⁴ as I was in the ripeness of my days, when the friendship of God was upon my tent,

⁵ when the Almighty was yet with me, and my sons were about me,

⁶ when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out streams of oil to me,

⁷ when I went forth to the gate to the city, when I prepared my seat in the street.

⁸ The young men saw me and hid themselves, and the aged rose up and stood.

⁹ The rulers refrained from talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.

¹⁰ The voice of the ranking men was hushed, and their tongue stuck 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 to me.

¹² Because I delivered the poor who cried, also the fatherless who had none to help him.

¹³ The blessing of him who was ready to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

¹⁴ I put on righteousness, and it clothed me. My justice was as a robe and a diadem.

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

¹⁶ I was a father to the needy, and I searched out the case of him whom I did not know.

¹⁷ And I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the prey out of his teeth.

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

¹⁹ My root is spread out to the waters, and the dew lays all night upon my branch.

²⁰ My glory is fresh in me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.

²¹ To me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence for my counsel.

²² After my words they spoke 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 they did not cast down the light of my countenance.

²⁵ I chose out their way, and sat as chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as a man who comforts the mourners.