Job 29:1-25 - Job's Final Defense

¹ And Job continued the lifting up of his speech, and said, ² Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God watched over me; ³ when His lamp shone on my head; I walked through darkness by His light; ⁴ as I was in the days of my harvest, when the secret of God was on my tent; ⁵ when the Almighty was yet with me, and my children were around me; ⁶ when I washed my steps with curds, and the rock poured out rivers of oil for me;

⁷ when I went out to the gate by the city; when I prepared my seat in the street! ⁸ The young men saw me and hid themselves; and the aged arose and stood up. ⁹ The rulers held back from talking, and laid their hand on their mouth. ¹⁰ The noble's voice was subdued, and their tongue clung to the roof of their mouth. ¹¹ For the ear heard and blessed me. And the eye saw me and witnessed to me. ¹² For I delivered the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to help him. ¹³ The blessing of the perishing came on me; and I caused the widow's heart to sing. ¹⁴ I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my judgment was like a robe and a diadem. ¹⁵ I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. ¹⁶ I was a father to the poor; and the cause which I did not know, I searched out. ¹⁷ I broke the fangs of the wicked, and plucked the prey out of his teeth.

¹⁸ Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days like the sand. ¹⁹ My root was open to the waters, and the dew lay all night on my branch. ²⁰ My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.

²¹ They listened to me, and waited, and kept silent at my counsel. ²² After my words they did not go on; and my speech dropped on them. ²³ And they waited for me like the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain. ²⁴ I smiled kindly on them when they did not believe; and they did not make the light of my face fall. ²⁵ I chose out their way, and sat as chief; and I lived like a king in the army, as one who comforts the mourners.