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- 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;
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- 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.
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- "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.
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- "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.'
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- "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.
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