Job’s Final Defense
1Job continued his discourse:
2“How I long for the months gone by,
for the days when God watched over me,
3when his lamp shone on my head
and by his light I walked through darkness!
4Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house,
5when the Almighty was still with me
and my children were around me,
6when my path was drenched with cream
and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.
7“When I went to the gate of the city
and took my seat in the public square,
8the young men saw me and stepped aside
and the old men rose to their feet;
9the chief men refrained from speaking
and covered their mouths with their hands;
10the voices of the nobles were hushed,
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
11Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
and those who saw me commended me,
12because I rescued the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to assist them.
13The one who was dying blessed me;
I made the widow’s heart sing.
14I put on righteousness as my clothing;
justice was my robe and my turban.
15I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
16I was a father to the needy;
I took up the case of the stranger.
17I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims from their teeth.
18“I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
my days as numerous as the grains of sand.
19My roots will reach to the water,
and the dew will lie all night on my branches.
20My glory will not fade;
the bow will be ever new in my hand.’
21“People listened to me expectantly,
waiting in silence for my counsel.
22After I had spoken, they spoke no more;
my words fell gently on their ears.
23They waited for me as for showers
and drank in my words as the spring rain.
24When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
the light of my face was precious to them.29:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
25I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;
I dwelt as a king among his troops;
I was like one who comforts mourners.
回憶昔日的幸福
1約伯接著說：
2「但願我回到從前的歲月，
回到上帝看顧我的日子。
3那時，祂的燈在我頭上照耀，
祂的光伴我走過黑暗。
4那時，我身強力壯，
上帝是我家的密友；
5全能者尚與我同在，
兒女圍繞在我身旁；
6我用奶油洗腳，
磐石為我湧出油河。
7「那時，我去城門口，
到廣場就坐，
8青年看見我便迴避，
老人也起身肅立；
9王侯都停止講話，
用手掩口；
10權貴都靜默無聲，
舌頭緊貼上膛。
11聽見我的都祝福我，
看見我的都稱讚我。
12因為我拯救求助的窮人，
解救無人援助的孤兒。
13臨終的人為我祝福，
我使寡婦心裡歡唱。
14我以公義為衣穿在身上，
公正是我的外袍和頭巾。
15我做盲人的眼、
瘸腿之人的腳；
16我做窮人的父，
為陌生人伸冤。
17我打落惡人的毒牙，
從他們口中救出受害者。
18「我想，『我必在家中安然離世，
我的年日必多如塵沙。
19我的根伸展到水邊，
枝子整夜沐浴甘露。
20我的尊榮永不褪色。
手中的弓常新不敗。』
21「人們期待聆聽我的話，
默然等候我的指教。
22我講完後，無人再發言；
我的話滋潤他們的心田。
23他們盼我如盼甘霖，
張著口如慕春雨。
24我的微笑令他們受寵若驚，
他們從不使我臉色不悅。
25我為他們選擇道路，並且做首領，
我就像住在軍中的君王，
又如傷心之人的安慰者。
