1ויסף איוב שאת משלו ויאמר׃
1Job again took up his parable, and said,
2מי יתנני כירחי קדם כימי אלוה ישמרני׃
2“Oh that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me;
3בהלו נרו עלי ראשי לאורו אלך חשך׃
3when his lamp shone on my head, and by his light I walked through darkness,
4כאשר הייתי בימי חרפי בסוד אלוה עלי אהלי׃
4as I was in the ripeness of my days, when the friendship of God was in my tent,
5בעוד שדי עמדי סביבותי נערי׃
5when the Almighty was yet with me, and my children were around me,
6ברחץ הליכי בחמה וצור יצוק עמדי פלגי שמן׃
6when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out streams of oil for me,
7בצאתי שער עלי קרת ברחוב אכין מושבי׃
7when I went forth to the city gate, when I prepared my seat in the street.
8ראוני נערים ונחבאו וישישים קמו עמדו׃
8The young men saw me and hid themselves. The aged rose up and stood.
9שרים עצרו במלים וכף ישימו לפיהם׃
9The princes refrained from talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
10קול נגידים נחבאו ולשונם לחכם דבקה׃
10The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11כי אזן שמעה ותאשרני ועין ראתה ותעידני׃
11For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it commended me:
12כי אמלט עני משוע ויתום ולא עזר לו׃
12Because I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless also, who had none to help him,
13ברכת אבד עלי תבא ולב אלמנה ארנן׃
13the blessing of him who was ready to perish came on me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
14צדק לבשתי וילבשני כמעיל וצניף משפטי׃
14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me. My justice was as a robe and a diadem.
15עינים הייתי לעור ורגלים לפסח אני׃
15I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame.
16אב אנכי לאביונים ורב לא ידעתי אחקרהו׃
16I was a father to the needy. The cause of him who I didn’t know, I searched out.
17ואשברה מתלעות עול ומשניו אשליך טרף׃
17I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the prey out of his teeth.
18ואמר עם קני אגוע וכחול ארבה ימים׃
18Then I said, ‘I shall die in my own house, I shall number my days as the sand.
19שרשי פתוח אלי מים וטל ילין בקצירי׃
19My root is spread out to the waters. The dew lies all night on my branch.
20כבודי חדש עמדי וקשתי בידי תחליף׃
20My glory is fresh in me. My bow is renewed in my hand.’
21לי שמעו ויחלו וידמו למו עצתי׃
21“Men listened to me, waited, and kept silence for my counsel.
22אחרי דברי לא ישנו ועלימו תטף מלתי׃
22After my words they didn’t speak again. My speech fell on them.
23ויחלו כמטר לי ופיהם פערו למלקוש׃
23They waited for me as for the rain. Their mouths drank as with the spring rain.
24אשחק אלהם לא יאמינו ואור פני לא יפילון׃
24I smiled on them when they had no confidence. They didn’t reject the light of my face.
25אבחר דרכם ואשב ראש ואשכון כמלך בגדוד כאשר אבלים ינחם׃
25I chose out their way, and sat as chief. I lived as a king in the army, as one who comforts the mourners.