Job 29

1Siguió Job explicando y dijo:

2“¡Ojalá volviera a ser como en los meses pasados, como en los días en que Dios me protegía,

3cuando su luz brillaba sobre mi cabeza, y su luz me guiaba en las tinieblas!

4¿Cuál era en la madurez de mi vida, cuando era amigo de Dios y Este guardaba mi morada;

5cuando el Todopoderoso estaba conmigo, y me rodeaban mis hijos;

6cuando lavaba mis pies con leche, y de la roca me brotaban ríos de aceite.

7(En aquel tiempo) cuando yo salía a la puerta de la ciudad, y en la plaza establecía mi asiento,

8los jóvenes al verme se retiraban, y los ancianos se levantaban, y se mantenían en pie.

9Los príncipes contenían la palabra, y ponían su mano sobre la boca.

10Se callaba la voz de los magnates y su lengua se pegaba a su paladar.

11El que me escuchaba, me llamaba dichoso, y el ojo que me veía, daba señas en favor mío.

12Yo libraba al pobre que pedía auxilio, y al huérfano que no tenía sostén.

13Sobre mí venía la bendición del que hubiera perecido, y yo alegraba el corazón de la viuda.

14Me revestía de justicia, y esta me revestía a mí, mi equidad me servía de manto y tiara.

15Era yo ojo para el ciego, y pie para el cojo,

16padre de los pobres, que examinaba con diligencia aun la causa del desconocido.

17Quebraba los colmillos del malvado, y de sus dientes arrancaba la presa.

18Por lo cual me decía: «Moriré en mi nido, y mis días serán tan numerosos como la arena;

19mi raíz se extenderá hacia las aguas, y el rocío pasará la noche en mis hojas.

20Será siempre nueva en mí la gloria mía, y mi arco se renovará en mi mano.»

21A mí me escuchaban sin perder la paciencia, aguardando silenciosamente mi consejo.

22Después de hablar ya no respondía nadie, porque (cual rocío) caían sobre ellos mis palabras.

23Me esperaban como se espera la lluvia, abrían su boca como a la lluvia tardía.

24Si les sonreía estaban admirados, y se alegraban de esa luz de mi rostro.

25Yo decidía su conducta y me sentaba a la cabecera, habitaba como un rey entre sus tropas, cual consolador un medio de los afligidos.”

1Addidit quoque Job, assumens parabolam suam, et dixit:

2[Quis mihi tribuat ut sim juxta menses pristinos, secundum dies quibus Deus custodiebat me?

3Quando splendebat lucerna ejus super caput meum, et ad lumen ejus ambulabam in tenebris:

4sicut fui in diebus adolescentiæ meæ, quando secreto Deus erat in tabernaculo meo:

5quando erat Omnipotens mecum, et in circuitu meo pueri mei:

6quando lavabam pedes meos butyro, et petra fundebat mihi rivos olei:

7quando procedebam ad portam civitatis, et in platea parabant cathedram mihi.

8Videbant me juvenes, et abscondebantur: et senes assurgentes stabant.

9Principes cessabant loqui, et digitum superponebant ori suo.

10Vocem suam cohibebant duces, et lingua eorum gutturi suo adhærebat.

11Auris audiens beatificabat me, et oculus videns testimonium reddebat mihi:

12eo quod liberassem pauperem vociferantem, et pupillum cui non esset adjutor.

13Benedictio perituri super me veniebat, et cor viduæ consolatus sum.

14Justitia indutus sum, et vestivi me, sicut vestimento et diademate, judicio meo.

15Oculus fui cæco, et pes claudo.

16Pater eram pauperum, et causam quam nesciebam diligentissime investigabam.

17Conterebam molas iniqui, et de dentibus illius auferebam prædam.

18Dicebamque: In nidulo meo moriar, et sicut palma multiplicabo dies.

19Radix mea aperta est secus aquas, et ros morabitur in messione mea.

20Gloria mea semper innovabitur, et arcus meus in manu mea instaurabitur.

21Qui me audiebant, expectabant sententiam, et intenti tacebant ad consilium meum.

22Verbis meis addere nihil audebant, et super illos stillabat eloquium meum.

23Expectabant me sicut pluviam, et os suum aperiebant quasi ad imbrem serotinum.

24Siquando ridebam ad eos, non credebant: et lux vultus mei non cadebat in terram.

25Si voluissem ire ad eos, sedebam primus: cumque sederem quasi rex, circumstante exercitu, eram tamen mœrentium consolator.]

1Job also added, taking up his parable, and said:

2Who will grant me, that I might be according to the months past, according to the days in which God kept me?

3When his lamp shined over my head, and I walked by his light in darkness?

4As I was in the days of my youth, when God was secretly in my tabernacle?

5When the Almighty was with me: and my servants round about me?

6When I washed my feet with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil?

7When I went out to the gate of the city, and in the street they prepared me a chair?

8The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the old men rose up and stood.

9The princes ceased to speak, and laid the finger on their mouth.

10The rulers held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to their throat.

11The ear that heard me blessed me, and the eye that saw me gave witness to me:

12Because I had delivered the poor man that cried out; and the fatherless that had no helper.

13The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I comforted the heart of the widow.

14I was clad with justice: and I clothed myself with my judgment, as with a robe and a diadem.

15I was an eye to the blind, and a foot to the lame.

16I was the father of the poor: and the cause which I knew not, I searched out most diligently.

17I broke the jaws of the wicked man, and out of his teeth I took away the prey.

18And I said: I shall die in my nest, and as a palm tree shall multiply my days.

19My root is opened beside the waters, and dew shall continue in my harvest.

20My glory shall always be renewed, and my bow in my hand shall be repaired.

21They that heard me, waited for my sentence, and being attentive held their peace at my counsel.

22To my words they durst add nothing, and my speech dropped upon them.

23They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for a latter shower.

24If at any time I laughed on them, they believed not, and the light of my countenance fell not on earth.

25If I had a mind to go to them, I sat first, and when I sat as a king, with his army standing about him, yet I was a comforter of them that mourned.