Job 29

1E Jó continuou a falar seu discurso, dizendo: 2Ah quem me dera que fosse como nos meses passados! Como nos dias em que Deus me guardava! 3Quando ele fazia brilhar sua lâmpada sobre minha cabeça, e eu com sua luz caminhava pelas trevas, 4Como era nos dias de minha juventude, quando a amizade de Deus estava sobre minha tenda; 5Quando o Todo-Poderoso ainda estava comigo, meus filhos ao redor de mim; 6Quando eu lavava meus passos com manteiga, e da rocha me corriam ribeiros de azeite! 7Quando eu saía para a porta da cidade, e na praça preparava minha cadeira, 8Os rapazes me viam, e abriam caminho; e os idosos se levantavam, e ficavam em pé; 9Os príncipes se detinham de falar, e punham a mão sobre a sua boca; 10A voz dos líderes se calava, e suas línguas se apegavam a céu da boca; 11O ouvido que me ouvia me considerava bem-aventurado, e o olho que me via dava bom testemunho de mim. 12Porque eu livrava ao pobre que clamava, e ao órfão que não tinha quem o ajudasse. 13A bênção do que estava a ponto de morrer vinha sobre mim; e eu fazia o coração da viúva ter grande alegria. 14Vestia-me de justiça, e ela me envolvia; e meu juízo era como um manto e um turbante. 15Eu era olhos para o cego, e pés para o manco. 16Aos necessitados eu era pai; e a causa que eu não sabia, investigava com empenho. 17E quebrava os queixos do perverso, e de seus dentes tirava a presa. 18E eu dizia: Em meu ninho expirarei, e multiplicarei meus dias como areia. 19Minha raiz se estendia junto às águas, e o orvalho ficava de noite em meus ramos. 20Minha honra se renovava em mim, e meu arco se revigorava em minha mão. 21Ouviam-me, e esperavam; e se calavam ao meu conselho. 22Depois de minha palavra nada replicavam, e minhas razões gotejavam sobre eles. 23Pois esperavam por mim como pela chuva, e abriam sua boca como para a chuva tardia. 24Se eu me ria com eles, não acreditavam; e não desfaziam a luz de meu rosto. 25Eu escolhia o caminho para eles, e me sentava à cabeceira; e habitava como rei entre as tropas, como o consolador dos que choram.

1Job again took up his parable, and said, 2“Oh that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me; 3when his lamp shone on 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 in my tent, 5when the Almighty was yet with me, and my children were around me, 6when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out streams of oil for me, 7when I went out to the city gate, when I prepared my seat in the street. 8The young men saw me and hid themselves. 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 stuck to the roof of their mouth. 11For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it commended me: 12Because I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless also, who had no one to help him, 13the blessing of him who was ready to perish came on 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 to the lame. 16I was a father to the needy. The cause of him who I didn’t know, I searched out. 17I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the prey out of his teeth. 18Then I said, ‘I shall die in my own house, I shall number my days as the sand. 19My root is spread out to the waters. The dew lies all night on my branch. 20My glory is fresh in me. My bow is renewed in my hand.’ 21“Men listened to me, waited, and kept silence for my counsel. 22After my words they didn’t speak again. My speech fell on them. 23They waited for me as for the rain. Their mouths drank as with the spring rain. 24I smiled on them when they had no confidence. They didn’t reject the light of my face. 25I chose out their way, and sat as chief. I lived as a king in the army, as one who comforts the mourners.

1En Job ging voort zijn spreuk op te heffen, en zeide: 2Och, of ik ware, gelijk in de vorige maanden, gelijk in de dagen, toen God mij bewaarde! 3Toen Hij Zijn lamp deed schijnen over mijn hoofd, en ik bij Zijn licht de duisternis doorwandelde; 4Gelijk als ik was in de dagen mijner jonkheid, toen Gods verborgenheid over mijn tent was; 5Toen de Almachtige nog met mij was, en mijn jongens rondom mij; 6Toen ik mijn gangen wies in boter, en de rots bij mij oliebeken uitgoot; 7Toen ik uitging naar de poort door de stad, toen ik mijn stoel op de straat liet bereiden. 8De jongens zagen mij, en verstaken zich, en de stokouden rezen op en stonden. 9De oversten hielden de woorden in, en leiden de hand op hun mond. 10De stem der vorsten verstak zich, en hun tong kleefde aan hun gehemelte. 11Als een oor mij hoorde, zo hield het mij gelukzalig; als mij een oog zag, zo getuigde het van mij. 12Want ik bevrijdde den ellendige, die riep, en den wees, die geen helper had. 13De zegen desgenen, die verloren ging, kwam op mij; en het hart der weduwe deed ik vrolijk zingen. 14Ik bekleedde mij met gerechtigheid, en zij bekleedde mij; mijn oordeel was als een mantel en vorstelijke hoed. 15Den blinden was ik tot ogen, en den kreupelen was ik tot voeten. 16Ik was den nooddruftigen een vader; en het geschil, dat ik niet wist, dat onderzocht ik. 17En ik verbrak de baktanden des verkeerden, en wierp den roof uit zijn tanden. 18En ik zeide: Ik zal in mijn nest den geest geven, en ik zal de dagen vermenigvuldigen als het zand. 19Mijn wortel was uitgebreid aan het water, en dauw vernachtte op mijn tak. 20Mijn heerlijkheid was nieuw bij mij, en mijn boog veranderde zich in mijn hand. 21Zij hoorden mij aan, en wachtten, en zwegen op mijn raad. 22Na mijn woord spraken zij niet weder, en mijn rede drupte op hen. 23Want zij wachtten naar mij, gelijk naar den regen, en sperden hun mond open, als naar den spaden regen. 24Lachte ik hun toe, zij geloofden het niet; en het licht mijns aangezichts deden zij niet nedervallen. 25Verkoos ik hun weg, zo zat ik bovenaan, en woonde als een koning onder de benden, als een, die treurigen vertroost.