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Job's Past Was Glorious

¹ Job again took up his ^(C1)discourse and said,

² "Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God ^(C1)watched over me;

³ When ^(C1)His lamp shone over my head,
And ^(C2)by His light I walked through darkness;

⁴ Just as I was in the days of my youth,
When the ^(C1)protection of God was over my tent;

⁵ When ^(F1)the Almighty was still with me,
And my children were around me;

⁶ When my steps were bathed in ^(C1)cream,
And the ^(C2)rock poured out streams of oil for me!

⁷ "When I went out to ^(C1)the gate of the city,
When I ^(F1)took my seat in the public square,

⁸ The young men saw me and hid themselves,
And the old men arose and stood.

⁹ "The leaders ^(C1)stopped talking
And ^(C2)put their hands on their mouths;

¹⁰ The voices of the prominent people were ^(F1)(C1)hushed,
And their ^(C2)tongues stuck to their palates.

¹¹ "For when ^(C1)an ear heard, it called me blessed,
And when an eye saw, it testified in support of me,

¹² Because I saved ^(C1)the poor who cried for help,
And the ^(C2)orphan who had no helper.

¹³ "The blessing of the one who ^(C1)was about to perish came upon me,
And I made the ^(C2)widow's heart sing for joy.

¹⁴ "I ^(C1)put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a headband.

¹⁵ "I was ^(C1)eyes to those who were blind,
And feet to those who ^(F1)could not walk.

¹⁶ "I was a father to ^(C1)the poor,
And I investigated the case which I did not know.

¹⁷ "I ^(C1)broke the jaws of the wicked
And rescued the prey from his teeth.

¹⁸ "Then I ^(F1)thought, 'I will die with my ^(F2)family,
And I will multiply my days as the sand.

¹⁹ 'My ^(C1)root is spread out to the waters,
And ^(C2)dew lies on my branch all night.

²⁰ 'My glory is ever new with me,
And my ^(C1)bow is renewed in my hand.'

²¹ "To me ^(C1)they listened and waited,
And they kept silent for my advice.

²² "After my words ^(C1)they did not speak again,
And ^(C2)my speech dropped on them.

²³ "They waited for me as for the rain,
And opened their mouths as for the late rain.

²⁴ "I smiled at them when they did not believe,
And they did not look at ^(F1)my kindness ungraciously.

²⁵ "I chose a way for them and sat as ^(C1)chief,
And lived as a king among the troops,
As one who ^(C2)comforted the mourners.