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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 God watched over me;
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- When His lamp shined above my head, and by His light I walked through darkness;
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- As I was in the days of my youth, when the converse of God 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 rivers of oil!
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- When I went forth to the gate unto the city, when I prepared my seat in the broad place,
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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 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 itself with 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 broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the prey out of his teeth.
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- Then I said: "I shall die with my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the phoenix;
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- My root shall be spread out to the waters, and the dew shall lie all night upon my branch;
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- My glory shall be fresh in me, and my bow shall be 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 spoke not again;
and my speech dropped 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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- If I laughed on them, they believed it not;
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.
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