^1. AND Job again took up his discourse and said,

^2. �Oh that I were as in months gone by, As in the days when God watched over me;

^3. When His lamp shone over my head, And by His light I walked through darkness;

^4. As I was in [2] the prime of my days, When the [1] friendship of God was over my tent;

^5. When [3] the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were around me;

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

^7. �When I went out to the gate of the city, When I [4] took my seat in the square,

^8. The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the old men arose and stood.

^9. �The princes stopped talking And put their hands on their mouths;

^10. The voice of the nobles was [5] hushed, And their tongue stuck to their palate.

^11. �For when the ear heard, it called me blessed, And when the eye saw, it gave witness of me,

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

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

^14. �I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban.

^15. �I was eyes to the blind And feet to the lame.

^16. �I was a father to the needy, And I investigated the case which I did not know.

^17. �I broke the jaws of the wicked And snatched the prey from his teeth.

^18. �Then I [7] thought, "I shall die [6] in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand.

^19. "My root is spread out to the waters, And dew lies all night on my branch.

^20. "My glory is ever new with me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.'

^21. �To me they listened and waited, And kept silent for my counsel.

^22. �After my words they did not speak again, And my speech dropped on them.

^23. �They waited for me as for the rain, And opened their mouth as for the spring rain.

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

^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.