Job 29
Job longs to return to the days when God watched over him, when he was prosperous and respected by all. He recalls his former life, when he was surrounded by his children, and his presence commanded respect from the young and the old. Job notes that he used his position to help the poor and the orphan, and that he was a source of comfort and guidance to those in need. He expresses his desire to return to that state, where he was a source of hope and strength to others.
Job also added to this, using figures of speech, and he saidWho will grant to me that I might be as I was in former months, according to the days when God kept watch over meAt that time, his lamp shined over my head, and by his light, I walked through the darknessI was then just as in the days of my youth, when God was privately in my tabernacleAt that time, the Almighty was with me and my children surrounded meThen, I washed my feet with butter, and a boulder poured out rivers of oil for meWhen I went to the gate of the city, or to the main street, they prepared a chair for meThe youths saw me and hid themselves, and the elders, rising up, remained standingThe leaders stopped talking, and they placed a finder over their mouthThe commanders subdued their voice, and their tongue adhered to their throatThe ear that heard me, blessed me, and the eye that saw me, gave testimony for meThis was because I had freed the poor, who cried out, and the orphan, who had no helperThe blessing of him who would have been destroyed came upon me, and I consoled the heart of the widowI put on justice, and I clothed myself with my judgment, like a robe and a diademI was an eye for the blind and a foot for the lameI was the father of the poor; and if I lacked knowledge about any case, I investigated very diligentlyI crushed the jaws of the impious, and I took away prey from his teethAnd I said, "I will die in my little nest, and like a palm tree, I will multiply my daysMy root has been spread beside the waters, and the dew will remain with my harvestMy glory will always be restored, and my bow will be restored to my hand.Those who heard me, expected vindication, and they listened closely in silence to my counselTo my words, they dared to add nothing, and my eloquence poured over themThey waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for belated rainsIf I had ever laughed at them, they would not have believed it, and the light of my face was not cast down towards the groundIf I wished to go to them, I sat down first, and, though I sat like a king surrounded by an army, yet I was a comforter to those who mourned
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