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- Job continued his discourse:
- "How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me,
- when his lamp shone upon 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,
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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 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.
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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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- 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 him.
- The man 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.
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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; 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 remain fresh in me, the bow ever new in my hand.'
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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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- "Men 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.
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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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