Chapter 29

¹ And Job continued and said in his parable,

² Oh that I were as in months past, wherein

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God preserved me! ³ As when his lamp shone over my head; when by his light I walked through darkness. ⁴ As when I steadfastly ¹pursued my ways, when God took care of my house. ⁵ When I was very ²fruitful, and my children were about me; ⁶ when my ways were moistened with butter, and the mountains ³flowed for me with milk.

⁷ When I went forth early in the city, and the seat was placed for me in the streets. ⁸ The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and all the old men stood up. ⁹ And the great men ceased speaking, and laid their finger on their mouth. ¹⁰ And they that heard me blessed me, and their tongue clave to their throat. ¹¹ For the ear heard, and blessed me; and the eye saw me, and turned aside. ¹² For I saved the poor out of the hand of the oppressor, and helped the fatherless who had no helper. ¹³ Let the blessing of the perishing one come upon me; yea, the mouth of the widow has blessed me. ¹⁴ Also I put on righteousness, and clothed myself with judgment like a mantle. ¹⁵ I was the eye of the blind, and the foot of the lame. ¹⁶ I was the father of the helpless; and I searched out the cause which I knew not. ¹⁷ And I broke the jaw-teeth of the unrighteous; I plucked the spoil out of the midst of their teeth. ¹⁸ And I said, My age shall continue as the stem of a palm-tree; I shall live a long while. ¹⁹ My root was spread out by the water, and the dew would lodge on my crop. ²⁰ My glory was fresh in me, and by bow prospered in his hand.

²¹ Men heard me, and gave heed, and they were silent at my counsel. ²² At my word they spoke not again, and they were very gland whenever I spoke to them. ²³ As the thirsty earth expecting the rain, so they waited for my speech. ²⁴ Were I to laugh on them, they would not believe it; and the light of my face has not failed. ²⁵ I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the midst of warriors, as one comforting mourners.

Chapter 30

¹ But now the youngest have laughed me to scorn, now they reprove me in their turn, whose fathers I set at nought; whom I did not deem worthy to be with my shepherd dogs. ² Yea, why had I the strength of their hands? for them the full term of life was lost. ³ One is childless in want and famine, such as they that fled but lately the distress and misery of drought. ⁴ Who compass the salt places on the sounding shore, who had salt herbs for their food, and were dishonorable and of no repute, in want of every good thing; who also ate roots of trees by reason of great hunger.

⁵ Thieves have risen up against me, ⁶ whose houses were the caves of the rocks, who lived under the wild shrubs. ⁷ They will cry out among the rustling bushes. ⁸ They are sons of fools and vile men, whose name and glory are quenched from off the earth. ⁹ But now I am their music, and they have me for a by-word. ¹⁰ And they stood aloof and abhorred me, and spared not to spit in my face. ¹¹ For he has opened his quiver and afflicted me: they also have cast off the restraint of my presence. ¹² They have risen up against me on the right hand of their offspring; they have stretched out their foot, and directed against me the ways

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of their destruction. ¹³ My paths are ruined; for they have stripped off my raiment: he has shot at me with his weapons. ¹⁴ And he has pleaded against me as he will: I am overwhelmed with pains. ¹⁵ My pains return upon me; my hope is gone like the wind, and my safety as a cloud.

¹⁶ Even now my life shall be poured forth upon me; and days of anguish seize me. ¹⁷ And by night my bones are confounded; and my sinews are relaxed. ¹⁸ With great force my disease has taken hold of my garment: it has compassed me as the collar of my coat. ¹⁹ And thou hast counted me as clay; my portion in dust and ashes.

²⁰ And I have cried to thee, but thou hearest me not: but they stood still, and observed me. ²¹ They attacked me also without mercy: thou hast scourged me with a strong hand. ²² And thou hast put me to grief, and hast cast me away from safety. ²³ For I know that death will destroy me: for the earth is the house appointed for every mortal. ²⁴ Oh then that I might lay hands upon myself, or at least ask another, and he should do this for me. ²⁵ Yet I wept over every helpless man; I groaned when I saw a man in distress. ²⁶ But I, when I waited for good things, behold, days of evils came the more upon me.

²⁷ My belly boiled, and would not cease: the days of poverty prevented me. ²⁸ I went mourning without restraint: and I have stood and cried out in the assembly. ²⁹ I am become a brother of ⁴monsters, and a companion of ostriches. ³⁰ And my skin has been greatly blackened, and my bones ⁵are burned with heat. ³¹ My harp also has been turned into mourning, and my song into my weeping.