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

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

29:3 When his lamp shined upon my head, And by his light I walked through darkness;

29:4 As I was in the ripeness of my days, When the friendship of God was upon my tent;

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

29:6 When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out streams of oil!

29:7 When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the street,

29:8 The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged rose up and stood;

29:9 The princes refrained from talking, And laid their hand on their mouth;

29:10 The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.

29:11 For when the ear heard [me], then it blessed me; And when the eye saw [me], it gave witness unto me:

29:12 Because I delivered the poor that cried, The fatherless also, that had none to help him.

29:13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

29:14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My justice was as a robe and a diadem.

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

29:16 I was a father to the needy: And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.

29:17 And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous, And plucked the prey out of his teeth.

29:18 Then I said, 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 the dew lieth all night upon my branch;

29:20 My glory is fresh in me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.

29:21 Unto me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.

29:22 After my words they spake not again; And my speech distilled upon them.

29:23 And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide [as] for the latter rain.

29:24 I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they cast not down.

29:25 I chose out their way, and sat [as] chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners.