Berean Study Bible | King James Bible |
1And Job continued his discourse: | 1Moreover Job continued his parable, and said, |
2“How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, | 2Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me; |
3when His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through the darkness, | 3When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness; |
4when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God rested on my tent, | 4As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; |
5when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, | 5When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me; |
6when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil! | 6When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil; |
7When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square, | 7When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street! |
8the young men saw me and withdrew, and the old men rose to their feet. | 8The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up. |
9The princes refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands. | 9The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth. |
10The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths. | 10The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth. |
11For those who heard me called me blessed, and those who saw me commended me, | 11When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: |
12because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper. | 12Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. |
13The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy. | 13The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. |
14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; justice was my robe and my turban. | 14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem. |
15I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame. | 15I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. |
16I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger. | 16I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out. |
17I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth. | 17And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth. |
18So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest and multiply my days as the sand. | 18Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand. |
19My roots will spread out to the waters, and the dew will rest nightly on my branches. | 19My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch. |
20My glory is ever new within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.’ | 20My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand. |
21Men listened to me with expectation, waiting silently for my counsel. | 21Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel. |
22After my words, they spoke no more; my speech settled on them like dew. | 22After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them. |
23They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers. | 23And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain. |
24If I smiled at them, they did not believe it; the light of my countenance was precious. | 24If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down. |
25I chose their course and presided as chief. So I dwelt as a king among his troops, as a comforter of the mourners. | 25I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners. |
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