^[1]  And Job again took up his parable, and said,

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^[2]  Oh that I were as in the months of old, As in the days when God watched over me;

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^[3]  When his lamp shined upon my head, And by his light I walked through darkness;

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^[4]  As I was in the ripeness of my days, When the friendship of God was upon my tent;

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^[5]  When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were about me;

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^[6]  When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out streams of oil!

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^[7]  When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the street,

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^[8]  The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged rose up and stood;

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^[9]  The princes refrained from talking, And laid their hand on their mouth;

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^[10]  The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.

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^[11]  For when the ear heardme, then it blessed me; And when the eye sawme, it gave witness unto me:

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^[12]  Because I delivered the poor that cried, The fatherless also, that had none to help him.

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^[13]  The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

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^[14]  I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My justice was as a robe and a diadem.

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^[15]  I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame.

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^[16]  I was a father to the needy: And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.

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^[17]  And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous, And plucked the prey out of his teeth.

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^[18]  Then I said, I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand:

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^[19]  My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lieth all night upon my branch:

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^[20]  My glory is fresh in me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.

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^[21]  Unto me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.

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^[22]  After my words they spake not again; And my speech distilled upon them.

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^[23]  And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wideasfor the latter rain.

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^[24]  I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they cast not down.

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^[25]  I chose out their way, and sataschief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners.

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