Job 29:1-25

Job 29:1-25 New Century Version (NCV)

Job continued to speak: “How I wish for the months that have passed and the days when God watched over me. God’s lamp shined on my head, and I walked through darkness by his light. I wish for the days when I was strong, when God’s close friendship blessed my house. The Almighty was still with me, and my children were all around me. It was as if my path were covered with cream and the rocks poured out olive oil for me. I would go to the city gate and sit in the public square. When the young men saw me, they would step aside, and the old men would stand up in respect. The leading men stopped speaking and covered their mouths with their hands. The voices of the important men were quiet, as if their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths. Anyone who heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me praised me, because I saved the poor who called out and the orphan who had no one to help. The dying person blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing. I put on right living as if it were clothing; I wore fairness like a robe and a turban. I was eyes for the blind and feet for the lame. I was like a father to needy people, and I took the side of strangers who were in trouble. I broke the fangs of evil people and snatched the captives from their teeth. “I thought, ‘I will live for as many days as there are grains of sand, and I will die in my own house. My roots will reach down to the water. The dew will lie on the branches all night. New honors will come to me continually, and I will always have great strength.’ “People listened to me carefully and waited quietly for my advice. After I finished speaking, they spoke no more. My words fell very gently on their ears. They waited for me as they would for rain and drank in my words like spring rain. I smiled at them when they doubted, and my approval was important to them. I chose the way for them and was their leader. I lived like a king among his army, like a person who comforts sad people.

Job 29:1-25 The Message (MSG)

Job now resumed his response: “Oh, how I long for the good old days, when God took such very good care of me. He always held a lamp before me and I walked through the dark by its light. Oh, how I miss those golden years when God’s friendship graced my home, When the Mighty One was still by my side and my children were all around me, When everything was going my way, and nothing seemed too difficult. “When I walked downtown and sat with my friends in the public square, Young and old greeted me with respect; I was honored by everyone in town. When I spoke, everyone listened; they hung on my every word. People who knew me spoke well of me; my reputation went ahead of me. I was known for helping people in trouble and standing up for those who were down on their luck. The dying blessed me, and the bereaved were cheered by my visits. All my dealings with people were good. I was known for being fair to everyone I met. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame, Father to the needy, and champion of abused aliens. I grabbed street thieves by the scruff of the neck and made them give back what they’d stolen. I thought, ‘I’ll die peacefully in my own bed, grateful for a long and full life, A life deep-rooted and well-watered, a life limber and dew-fresh, My soul soaked through with glory and my body robust until the day I die.’ “Men and women listened when I spoke, hung expectantly on my every word. After I spoke, they’d be quiet, taking it all in. They welcomed my counsel like spring rain, drinking it all in. When I smiled at them, they could hardly believe it; their faces lit up, their troubles took wing! I was their leader, establishing the mood and setting the pace by which they lived. Where I led, they followed.”

Job 29:1-25 King James Version (KJV)

Moreover Job continued his parable, and said, Oh that I were as in months past, As in the days when God preserved me; When his candle shined upon my head, And when by his light I walked through darkness; As I was in the days of my youth, When the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; When the Almighty was yet with me, When my children were about me; When I washed my steps with butter, And the rock poured me out rivers of oil; When I went out to the gate through the city, When I prepared my seat in the street! The young men saw me, and hid themselves: And the aged arose, and stood up. The princes refrained talking, And laid their hand on their mouth. The nobles held their peace, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth. When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; And when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: Because I delivered the poor that cried, And the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My judgment was as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor: And the cause which I knew not I searched out. And I brake the jaws of the wicked, And plucked the spoil out of his teeth. Then I said, I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand. My root was spread out by the waters, And the dew lay all night upon my branch. My glory was fresh in me, And my bow was renewed in my hand. Unto me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence at my counsel. After my words they spake not again; And my speech dropped upon them. And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain. If I laughed on them, they believed it not; And the light of my countenance they cast not down. I chose out their way, and sat chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners.

Job 29:1-25 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)

And Job again took up his discourse and said, “Oh that I were as in months gone by, As in the days when God watched over me; When His lamp shone over my head, And by His light I walked through darkness; As I was in the prime of my days, When the friendship of God was over my tent; When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were around me; When my steps were bathed in butter, And the rock poured out for me streams of oil! When I went out to the gate of the city, When I took my seat in the square, The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the old men arose and stood. The princes stopped talking And put their hands on their mouths; The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue stuck to their palate. For when the ear heard, it called me blessed, And when the eye saw, it gave witness of me, Because I delivered the poor who cried for help, And the orphan who had no helper. The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me, And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind And feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, And I investigated the case which I did not know. I broke the jaws of the wicked And snatched the prey from his teeth. Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand. My root is spread out to the waters, And dew lies all night on my branch. My glory is ever new with me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.’ “To me they listened and waited, And kept silent for my counsel. After my words they did not speak again, And my speech dropped on them. They waited for me as for the rain, And opened their mouth as for the spring rain. I smiled on them when they did not believe, And the light of my face they did not cast down. I chose a way for them and sat as chief, And dwelt as a king among the troops, As one who comforted the mourners.

Job 29:1-25 American Standard Version (ASV)

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

Job 29:1-25 New International Version (NIV)

Job continued his discourse: “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked through darkness! Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house, when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil. “When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square, the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet; the chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands; the voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths. Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them. The one who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing. I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth. “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house, my days as numerous as the grains of sand. My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie all night on my branches. My glory will not fade; the bow will be ever new in my hand.’ “People listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel. After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears. They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain. When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them. 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.

Job 29:1-25 New King James Version (NKJV)

Job further continued his discourse, and said: “Oh, that I were as in months past, As in the days when God watched over me; When His lamp shone upon my head, And when by His light I walked through darkness; Just as I was in the days of my prime, When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent; When the Almighty was yet with me, When my children were around me; When my steps were bathed with cream, And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me! “When I went out to the gate by the city, When I took my seat in the open square, The young men saw me and hid, And the aged arose and stood; The princes refrained from talking, And put their hand on their mouth; The voice of nobles was hushed, And their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me; Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper. The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know. I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth. “Then I said, ‘I shall die in my nest, And multiply my days as the sand. My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lies all night on my branch. My glory is fresh within me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.’ “Men listened to me and waited, And kept silence for my counsel. After my words they did not speak again, And my speech settled on them as dew. They waited for me as for the rain, And they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain. If I mocked at them, they did not believe it, And the light of my countenance they did not cast down. I chose the way for them, and sat as chief; So I dwelt as a king in the army, As one who comforts mourners.

Job 29:1-25 Amplified Bible (AMP)

And Job again took up his discussion and said, “Oh, that I were as in the months of old, As in the days when God watched over me, When His lamp shone upon my head And by His light I walked through darkness; As I was in the prime of my days, When the friendship and counsel of God were over my tent, When the Almighty was still with me And my boys were around me, When my steps [through rich pastures] were washed with butter and cream [from my livestock], And the rock poured out for me streams of oil [from my olive groves]. When I went out to the gate of the city, When I took my seat [as a city father] in the square, The young men saw me and hid themselves, The aged arose and stood [respectfully]; The princes stopped talking And put their hands on their mouths; The voices of the nobles were hushed, And their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths. For when an ear heard [my name mentioned], it called me happy and fortunate; And when an eye saw [me], it testified for me [approvingly], Because I rescued the poor who cried for help, And the orphan who had no helper. The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me, And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban! I was eyes to the blind And I was feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I investigated the case I did not know [and assured justice]. And I smashed the jaws of the wicked And snatched the prey from his teeth. Then I said, ‘I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand. My root is spread out and open to the waters, And the dew lies all night upon my branch. My glory and honor are fresh in me [being constantly renewed], And my bow gains [ever] new strength in my hand.’ “They listened to me and waited And kept silent for my counsel. After I spoke, they did not speak again, And my speech dropped upon them [like a refreshing shower]. They waited for me [and for my words] as for the rain, And they opened their mouths as for the spring rain. I smiled at them when they did not believe, And they did not diminish the light of my face. I chose a way for them and sat as chief, And dwelt as a king among his soldiers, As one who comforts mourners.

Job 29:1-25 New Living Translation (NLT)

Job continued speaking: “I long for the years gone by when God took care of me, when he lit up the way before me and I walked safely through the darkness. When I was in my prime, God’s friendship was felt in my home. The Almighty was still with me, and my children were around me. My steps were awash in cream, and the rocks gushed olive oil for me. “Those were the days when I went to the city gate and took my place among the honored leaders. The young stepped aside when they saw me, and even the aged rose in respect at my coming. The princes stood in silence and put their hands over their mouths. The highest officials of the city stood quietly, holding their tongues in respect. “All who heard me praised me. All who saw me spoke well of me. For I assisted the poor in their need and the orphans who required help. I helped those without hope, and they blessed me. And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy. Everything I did was honest. Righteousness covered me like a robe, and I wore justice like a turban. I served as eyes for the blind and feet for the lame. I was a father to the poor and assisted strangers who needed help. I broke the jaws of godless oppressors and plucked their victims from their teeth. “I thought, ‘Surely I will die surrounded by my family after a long, good life. For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water, whose branches are refreshed with the dew. New honors are constantly bestowed on me, and my strength is continually renewed.’ “Everyone listened to my advice. They were silent as they waited for me to speak. And after I spoke, they had nothing to add, for my counsel satisfied them. They longed for me to speak as people long for rain. They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain. When they were discouraged, I smiled at them. My look of approval was precious to them. Like a chief, I told them what to do. I lived like a king among his troops and comforted those who mourned.

Job 29:1-25 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)

And Job again took up his discourse, and said: “Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head, and by his light I walked through darkness, as I was in my prime, when the friendship of God was upon my tent, when the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were all around me, when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil! When I went out to the gate of the city, when I prepared my seat in the square, the young men saw me and withdrew, and the aged rose and stood; the princes refrained from talking and laid their hand on their mouth; the voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. When the ear heard, it called me blessed, and when the eye saw, it approved, because I delivered the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to help him. The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know. I broke the fangs of the unrighteous and made him drop his prey from his teeth. Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand, my roots spread out to the waters, with the dew all night on my branches, my glory fresh with me, and my bow ever new in my hand.’ “Men listened to me and waited and kept silence for my counsel. After I spoke they did not speak again, and my word dropped upon them. They waited for me as for the rain, and they opened their mouths as for the spring rain. I smiled on them when they had no confidence, and the light of my face they did not cast down. I chose their way and sat as chief, and I lived like a king among his troops, like one who comforts mourners.