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And Job again took up his parable, and said,

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Oh that I were as in the months of old, As in the days when YAHUVEH watched over me;

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

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As I was in the ripeness of my days, When the friendship of YAHUVEH was upon my tent;

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When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were about me;

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

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When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the street,

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

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The princes refrained from talking, And laid their hand on their mouth;

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

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For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me; And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me:

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

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

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I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame.

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

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And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous, And plucked the prey out of his teeth.

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

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My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lieth all night upon my branch;

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My glory is fresh in me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.

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Unto me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.

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After my words they spake not again; And my speech distilled upon them.

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And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

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

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I chose out their way, and sat as chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners.