New International Version NIV
American Standard Version ASV
1 Job continued his discourse:
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And Job again took up his parable, and said,
2 “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me,
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Oh that I were as in the months of old, As in the days when God watched over me;
3 when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked through darkness!
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When his lamp shined upon my head, And by his light I walked through darkness;
4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house,
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As I was in the ripeness of my days, When the friendship of God was upon my tent;
5 when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me,
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When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were about me;
6 when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.
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When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out streams of oil!
7 “When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square,
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When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the street,
8 the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet;
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The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged rose up and stood;
9 the chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands;
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The princes refrained from talking, And laid their hand on their mouth;
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
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The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me,
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For when the ear heard [me], then it blessed me; And when the eye saw [me], it gave witness unto me:
12 because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them.
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Because I delivered the poor that cried, The fatherless also, that had none to help him.
13 The one who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing.
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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 as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban.
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I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My justice was as a robe and a diadem.
15 I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.
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I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger.
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I was a father to the needy: And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.
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And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous, And plucked the prey out of his teeth.
18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house, my days as numerous as the grains of sand.
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Then I said, I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand:
19 My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie all night on my branches.
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My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lieth all night upon my branch;
20 My glory will not fade; the bow will be ever new in my hand.’
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My glory is fresh in me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.
21 “People listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel.
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Unto me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears.
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After my words they spake not again; And my speech distilled upon them.
23 They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain.
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And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide [as] for the latter rain.
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them.
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I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they cast not down.
25 I 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.
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I chose out their way, and sat [as] chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
The American Standard Version is in the public domain.