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¹ And Job again took up his parable, and said:² Oh that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me;³ When His lamp shined above my head, and by His light I walked through darkness;⁴ As I was in the days of my youth, when the converse of God was upon my tent;⁵ When the Almighty was yet with me, and my children were about me;⁶ When my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil!

⁷ When I went forth to the gate unto the city, when I prepared my seat in the broad place,⁸ The young men saw me and hid themselves, and the aged rose up and stood;⁹ The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth;¹⁰ The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.¹¹ For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me, and when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me;¹² Because I delivered the poor that cried, the fatherless also, that had none to help him.¹³ The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.¹⁴ I put on righteousness, and it clothed itself with me; my justice was as a robe and a diadem.¹⁵ I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.¹⁶ I was a father to the needy; and the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.¹⁷ And I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the prey out of his teeth.

¹⁸ Then I said: 'I shall die with my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the phoenix;¹⁹ My root shall be spread out to the waters, and the dew shall lie all night upon my branch;²⁰ My glory shall be fresh in me, and my bow shall be renewed in my hand.'²¹ Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence for my counsel.²² After my words they spoke not again; and my speech dropped upon them.²³ And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.²⁴ If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.²⁵ I chose out their way, and sat as chief,