Job 29:1-25 NIV

Job 29:1-25 NIV [1] Job continued his discourse: [2] “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, [3] when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked through darkness! [4] Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house, [5] when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, [6] when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil. [7] “When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square, [8] the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet; [9] the chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands; [10] the voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths. [11] Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, [12] because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them. [13] The one who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing. [14] I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. [15] I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. [16] I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. [17] I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth. [18] “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house, my days as numerous as the grains of sand. [19] My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie all night on my branches. [20] My glory will not fade; the bow will be ever new in my hand.’ [21] “People listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel. [22] After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears. [23] They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain. [24] When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them. [25] I chose the way for them and sat as their chief; I dwelt as a king among his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners.

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