Job 29

1Job reprit encore son discours et dit :

2Oh ! Qui me rendra les mois d’autrefois, les jours où Dieu veillait à ma garde ;

3quand sa lampe brillait sur ma tête, et que sa lumière me guidait dans les ténèbres !

4Tel que j’étais aux jours de mon âge mûr, quand Dieu me visitait familièrement dans ma tente,

5quand le Tout-Puissant était encore avec moi, et que mes fils m’entouraient ;

6quand je lavais mes pieds dans le lait, et que le rocher me versait des flots d’huile !

7Lorsque je sortais pour me rendre à la porte de la ville, et que j’établissais mon siège sur la place publique,

8en me voyant, les jeunes gens se cachaient, les vieillards se levaient et se tenaient debout.

9Les princes retenaient leurs paroles, et mettaient leur main sur la bouche.

10La voix des chefs restait muette, leur langue s’attachait à leur palais.

11L’oreille qui m’entendait me proclamait heureux, l’œil qui me voyait me rendait témoignage.

12Car je sauvais le pauvre qui implorait du secours, et l’orphelin dénué de tout appui.

13La bénédiction de celui qui allait périr venait sur moi, je remplissais de joie le cœur de la veuve.

14Je me revêtais de la justice comme d’un vêtement, mon équité était mon manteau et mon turban.

15J’étais l’œil de l’aveugle, et le pied du boiteux.

16J’étais le père des pauvres, j’examinais avec soin la cause de l’inconnu.

17Je brisais la mâchoire de l’injuste, et j’arrachais sa proie d’entre les dents.

18Je disais : « Je mourrai dans mon nid, j’aurai des jours nombreux comme le sable.

19Mes racines s’étendent vers les eaux, la rosée passe la nuit dans mon feuillage.

20Ma gloire reverdira sans cesse, et mon arc reprendra sa vigueur dans ma main. »

21On m’écoutait et l’on attendait, on recueillait en silence mon avis.

22Après que j’avais parlé, personne n’ajoutait rien ; ma parole coulait sur eux comme la rosée.

23Ils m’attendaient comme on attend la pluie ; ils ouvraient la bouche comme aux ondées du printemps.

24Si je leur souriais, ils ne pouvaient le croire ; ils recueillaient avidement ce signe de faveur.

25Quand j’allais vers eux, j’avais la première place, je siégeais comme un roi entouré de sa troupe, comme un consolateur au milieu des affligés.

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.