1And Job continued his discourse:
2“How I long for the months gone by,
3when His lamp shone above my head,
4when I was in my prime,29:4 Hebrew in the time of my harvest
5when the Almighty was still with me
6when my steps were bathed in cream
7When I went out to the city gate
8the young men saw me and withdrew,
9The princes refrained from speaking
10The voices of the nobles were hushed,
11For those who heard me called me blessed,
12because I rescued the poor who cried out
13The dying man blessed me,
14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
15I served as eyes to the blind
16I was a father to the needy,
17I shattered the fangs of the unjust
18So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest
19My roots will spread out to the waters,
20My glory is ever new within me,
21Men listened to me with expectation,
22After my words, they spoke no more;
23They waited for me as for rain
24If I smiled at them, they did not believe it;
25I chose their course and presided as chief.