1 וַיֹּסֶף אִיֹּוב שְׂאֵת מְשָׁלֹו וַיֹּאמַר | 1 Job also added to this, using figures of speech, and he said: |
2 מִי־יִתְּנֵנִי כְיַרְחֵי־קֶדֶם כִּימֵי אֱלֹוהַּ יִשְׁמְרֵנִי | 2 Who will grant to me that I might be as I was in former months, according to the days when God kept watch over me? |
3 בְּהִלֹּו נֵרֹו עֲלֵי רֹאשִׁי לְאֹורֹו אֵלֶךְ חֹשֶׁךְ | 3 At that time, his lamp shined over my head, and by his light, I walked through the darkness. |
4 כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיִיתִי בִּימֵי חָרְפִּי בְּסֹוד אֱלֹוהַּ עֲלֵי אָהֳלִי | 4 I was then just as in the days of my youth, when God was privately in my tabernacle. |
5 בְּעֹוד דַּי עִמָּדִי סְבִיבֹותַי נְעָרָי | 5 At that time, the Almighty was with me and my children surrounded me. |
6 בִּרְחֹץ הֲלִיכַי בְּחֵמָה וְצוּר יָצוּק עִמָּדִי פַּלְגֵי־שָׁמֶן | 6 Then, I washed my feet with butter, and a boulder poured out rivers of oil for me. |
7 בְּצֵאתִי שַׁעַר עֲלֵי־קָרֶת בָּרְחֹוב אָכִין מֹושָׁבִי | 7 When I went to the gate of the city, or to the main street, they prepared a chair for me. |
8 רָאוּנִי נְעָרִים וְנֶחְבָּאוּ וִישִׁישִׁים קָמוּ עָמָדוּ | 8 The youths saw me and hid themselves, and the elders, rising up, remained standing. |
9 רִים עָצְרוּ בְמִלִּים וְכַף יָשִׂימוּ לְפִיהֶם | 9 The leaders stopped talking, and they placed a finder over their mouth. |
10 קֹול־נְגִידִים נֶחְבָּאוּ וּלְשֹׁונָם לְחִכָּם דָּבֵקָה | 10 The commanders subdued their voice, and their tongue adhered to their throat. |
11 כִּי אֹזֶן מְעָה וַתְּאַשְּׁרֵנִי וְעַיִן רָאֲתָה וַתְּעִידֵנִי | 11 The ear that heard me, blessed me, and the eye that saw me, gave testimony for me. |
12 כִּי־אֲמַלֵּט עָנִי מְשַׁוֵּעַ וְיָתֹום וְלֹא־עֹזֵר לֹו | 12 This was because I had freed the poor, who cried out, and the orphan, who had no helper. |
13 בִּרְכַּת אֹבֵד עָלַי תָּבֹא וְלֵב אַלְמָנָה אַרְנִן | 13 The blessing of him who would have been destroyed came upon me, and I consoled the heart of the widow. |
14 צֶדֶק לָבַשְׁתִּי וַיִּלְבָּשֵׁנִי כִּמְעִיל וְצָנִיף מִשְׁפָּטִי | 14 I put on justice, and I clothed myself with my judgment, like a robe and a diadem. |
15 עֵינַיִם הָיִיתִי לַעִוֵּר וְרַגְלַיִם לַפִּסֵּחַ אָנִי | 15 I was an eye for the blind and a foot for the lame. |
16 אָב אָנֹכִי לָאֶבְיֹונִים וְרִב לֹא־יָדַעְתִּי אֶחְקְרֵהוּ | 16 I was the father of the poor; and if I lacked knowledge about any case, I investigated very diligently. |
17 וָאֲשַׁבְּרָה מְתַלְּעֹות עַוָּל וּמִשִּׁנָּיו אַשְׁלִיךְ טָרֶף | 17 I crushed the jaws of the impious, and I took away prey from his teeth. |
18 וָאֹמַר עִם־קִנִּי אֶגְוָע וְכַחֹול אַרְבֶּה יָמִים | 18 And I said, “I will die in my little nest, and like a palm tree, I will multiply my days. |
19 שָׁרְשִׁי פָתוּחַ אֱלֵי־מָיִם וְטַל יָלִין בִּקְצִירִי | 19 My root has been spread beside the waters, and the dew will remain with my harvest. |
20 כְּבֹודִי חָדָשׁ עִמָּדִי וְקַשְׁתִּי בְּיָדִי תַחֲלִיף | 20 My glory will always be restored, and my bow will be restored to my hand.” |
21 לִי־שָׁמְעוּ וְיִחֵלּוּ וְיִדְּמוּ לְמֹו עֲצָתִי | 21 Those who heard me, expected vindication, and they listened closely in silence to my counsel. |
22 אַחֲרֵי דְבָרִי לֹא יִשְׁנוּ וְעָלֵימֹו תִּטֹּף מִלָּתִי | 22 To my words, they dared to add nothing, and my eloquence poured over them. |
23 וְיִחֲלוּ כַמָּטָר לִי וּפִיהֶם פָּעֲרוּ לְמַלְקֹושׁ | 23 They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for belated rains. |
24 אֶשְׂחַק אֲלֵהֶם לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ וְאֹור פָּנַי לֹא יַפִּילוּן | 24 If I had ever laughed at them, they would not have believed it, and the light of my face was not cast down towards the ground. |
25 אֶבֲחַר דַּרְכָּם וְאֵשֵׁב רֹאשׁ וְאֶשְׁכֹּון כְּמֶלֶךְ בַּגְּדוּד כַּאֲשֶׁר אֲבֵלִים יְנַחֵם | 25 If I wished to go to them, I sat down first, and, though I sat like a king surrounded by an army, yet I was a comforter to whose who mourned. |