| New International Version | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1Job continued his discourse: | 1And Job again took up his discourse and said, |
| 2"How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, | 2"Oh that I were as in months gone by, As in the days when God watched over me; |
| 3when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked through darkness! | 3When His lamp shone over my head, And by His light I walked through darkness; |
| 4Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God's intimate friendship blessed my house, | 4As I was in the prime of my days, When the friendship of God was over my tent; |
| 5when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, | 5When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were around me; |
| 6when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil. | 6When my steps were bathed in butter, And the rock poured out for me streams of oil! |
| 7"When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square, | 7"When I went out to the gate of the city, When I took my seat in the square, |
| 8the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet; | 8The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the old men arose and stood. |
| 9the chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands; | 9"The princes stopped talking And put their hands on their mouths; |
| 10the voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths. | 10The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue stuck to their palate. |
| 11Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, | 11"For when the ear heard, it called me blessed, And when the eye saw, it gave witness of me, |
| 12because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them. | 12Because I delivered the poor who cried for help, And the orphan who had no helper. |
| 13The one who was dying blessed me; I made the widow's heart sing. | 13"The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me, And I made the widow's heart sing for joy. |
| 14I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. | 14"I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. |
| 15I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. | 15"I was eyes to the blind And feet to the lame. |
| 16I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. | 16"I was a father to the needy, And I investigated the case which I did not know. |
| 17I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth. | 17"I broke the jaws of the wicked And snatched the prey from his teeth. |
| 18"I thought, 'I will die in my own house, my days as numerous as the grains of sand. | 18"Then I thought, 'I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand. |
| 19My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie all night on my branches. | 19'My root is spread out to the waters, And dew lies all night on my branch. |
| 20My glory will not fade; the bow will be ever new in my hand.' | 20My glory is ever new with me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.' |
| 21"People listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel. | 21"To me they listened and waited, And kept silent for my counsel. |
| 22After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears. | 22"After my words they did not speak again, And my speech dropped on them. |
| 23They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain. | 23"They waited for me as for the rain, And opened their mouth as for the spring rain. |
| 24When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them. | 24"I smiled on them when they did not believe, And the light of my face they did not cast down. |
| 25I 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. | 25"I chose a way for them and sat as chief, And dwelt as a king among the troops, As one who comforted the mourners. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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