✧And Job again took up his parable, and said, ✧2Oh that I were as in the months of old, As in the days when God watched over me; ✧3When his lamp shined upon my head, And by his light I walked through darkness; ✧4As I was in the ripeness of my days, When the friendship of God was upon my tent; ✧5When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were about me; ✧6When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out streams of oil! ✧7When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the street, ✧8The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged rose up and stood; ✧9The princes refrained from talking, And laid their hand on their mouth; ✧10The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth. ✧11For when the ear heard [me], then it blessed me; And when the eye saw [me], it gave witness unto me: ✧12Because I delivered the poor that cried, The fatherless also, that had none to help him. ✧13The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. ✧14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My justice was as a robe and a diadem. ✧15I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame. ✧16I was a father to the needy: And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out. ✧17And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous, And plucked the prey out of his teeth. ✧18Then I said, I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand: ✧19My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lieth all night upon my branch: ✧20My glory is fresh in me, And my bow is renewed in my hand. ✧21Unto me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel. ✧22After my words they spake not again; And my speech distilled upon them. ✧23And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide [as] for the latter rain. ✧24I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they cast not down. ✧25I chose out their way, and sat [as] chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners.