Read the Bible

² I long for the past,
    when God took care of me,
³ and the light from his lamp
showed me the way
    through the dark.
⁴ I was in the prime of life,
God All-Powerful
    was my closest friend,
⁵ and all of my children
    were nearby.
⁶ My herds gave enough milk
    to bathe my feet,
and from my olive harvest
    flowed rivers of oil.
⁷ When I sat down at the meeting
    of the city council,
⁸ the young leaders stepped aside,
⁹ while the older ones stood
¹⁰     and remained silent.

¹¹ Everyone was pleased
    with what I said and did.
¹² When poor people or orphans
cried out for help,
    I came to their rescue.
¹³ And I was highly praised
for my generosity to widows
    and others in poverty.
¹⁴ Kindness and justice
    were my coat and hat;
¹⁵ I was good to the blind
    and to the lame.
¹⁶ I was a father to the needy,
and I defended them in court,
    even if they were strangers.
¹⁷ When criminals attacked,
I broke their teeth
    and set their victims free.

¹⁸ I felt certain that I would live
a long and happy life,
    then die in my own bed.
¹⁹ In those days I was strong
    like a tree with deep roots
and with plenty of water,
²⁰     or like an archer's new bow.
²¹ Everyone listened in silence
    to my welcome advice,
²² and when I finished speaking,
    nothing needed to be said.
²³ My words were eagerly accepted
    like the showers of spring,
²⁴ and the smile on my face
    renewed everyone's hopes.
²⁵ My advice was followed
as though I were a king
    leading my troops,
or someone comforting
    those in sorrow.