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Job 29
EasyEnglish Bible
Job 29
EasyEnglish Bible
Job speaks about his life[a]
29 Job continued to speak. This is what he said:
2 ‘I would like my life to be as it was before,
many months ago.
At that time, God took care of me.
3 He was my guide,
as if he had a lamp to show me the way.
His light kept me safe
as I walked in dark places.
4 I was strong and well.
God was my friend
and he protected my home.
5 At that time, Almighty God was still with me.
My children were near me.
6 I got plenty of milk from my cows,
so that my life was easy.
My olive trees gave me lots of oil.
7 I would go to the gate of the city,
and sit there as one of the leaders.
8 When young men saw me,
they would move to the side.
Even the old men would stand up to respect me.
9 The city's rulers would stop speaking.
They would cover their mouths with their hands.
10 The important leaders would be quiet.
They would not want to say anything.
11 Everyone was very pleased
to listen to the things that I said.
They respected me
when they saw the things that I did.
12 When poor people cried for help,
I rescued them.
I helped children
who had no family that could help them.
13 People who were near to death praised me for my help.
Widows were happy when I helped them.
14 I always did what was right,
like good clothes that I wore.
I was fair and honest,
like my coat and my hat.[b]
15 If people were blind,
I would be their guide.
If people could not walk,
I would fetch things for them.
16 If poor people needed help,
I helped them like their father would do.
I spoke on behalf of strangers
to help them get justice.
17 I destroyed the power of wicked people.
I rescued the people that they had attacked.
18 At that time, I thought,
“I will live to be an old man.
After a long life, I will die in my own home.
19 My body is strong and well,
like a tree that always has plenty of water.
20 People will continue to give me honour.
Each day I will have new strength.”
21 People waited patiently to hear to my advice.
They listened carefully to what I said.
22 After I had spoken,
they did not say any more.
They listened to every word
and they thought about it.
23 They would wait for me to speak to them,
like people who wait for rain to fall.
My words would make them happy,
like rain in spring that makes a farmer happy.
24 They were surprised when I smiled at them.
My smile made them happy.
25 As their leader,
I told them what they should do.
I was like a king who leads his soldiers.
When they were sad,
I would comfort them.’
Footnotes
- 29:1 In chapter 29, Job remembers his life before he had all his troubles. He was a happy man and God was always with him. He remembers, too, all the people that he helped.
- 29:14 Job is saying that he would not forget to dress himself in good clothes. In the same way, he would always remember to do what was right and honest.
Job 29
New International Version
Job 29
New International Version
Job’s Final Defense
29 Job continued his discourse:(A)
2 “How I long for the months gone by,(B)
for the days when God watched over me,(C)
3 when his lamp shone on my head
and by his light I walked through darkness!(D)
4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
when God’s intimate friendship(E) blessed my house,(F)
5 when the Almighty was still with me
and my children(G) were around me,(H)
6 when my path was drenched with cream(I)
and the rock(J) poured out for me streams of olive oil.(K)
7 “When I went to the gate(L) of the city
and took my seat in the public square,
8 the young men saw me and stepped aside(M)
and the old men rose to their feet;(N)
9 the chief men refrained from speaking(O)
and covered their mouths with their hands;(P)
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,(Q)
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.(R)
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
and those who saw me commended me,(S)
12 because I rescued the poor(T) who cried for help,
and the fatherless(U) who had none to assist them.(V)
13 The one who was dying blessed me;(W)
I made the widow’s(X) heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness(Y) as my clothing;
justice was my robe and my turban.(Z)
15 I was eyes(AA) to the blind
and feet to the lame.(AB)
16 I was a father to the needy;(AC)
I took up the case(AD) of the stranger.(AE)
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims(AF) from their teeth.(AG)
18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
my days as numerous as the grains of sand.(AH)
19 My roots will reach to the water,(AI)
and the dew will lie all night on my branches.(AJ)
20 My glory will not fade;(AK)
the bow(AL) will be ever new in my hand.’(AM)
21 “People listened to me expectantly,
waiting in silence for my counsel.(AN)
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;(AO)
my words fell gently on their ears.(AP)
23 They waited for me as for showers
and drank in my words as the spring rain.(AQ)
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
the light of my face(AR) was precious to them.[a](AS)
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;(AT)
I dwelt as a king(AU) among his troops;
I was like one who comforts mourners.(AV)
Footnotes
- Job 29:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
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