Job 29

When God Was Still by My Side ^1-6Job now resumed his response: "Oh, how I long for the good old days,
   when God took such very good care of me.
He always held a lamp before me
   and I walked through the dark by its light.
Oh, how I miss those golden years
   when God's friendship graced my home,
When the Mighty One was still by my side
   and my children were all around me,
When everything was going my way,
   and nothing seemed too difficult.

^7-20    "When I walked downtown
   and sat with my friends in the public square,
Young and old greeted me with respect;
   I was honored by everyone in town.
When I spoke, everyone listened;
   they hung on my every word.
People who knew me spoke well of me;
   my reputation went ahead of me.
I was known for helping people in trouble
   and standing up for those who were down on their luck.
The dying blessed me,
   and the bereaved were cheered by my visits.
All my dealings with people were good.
   I was known for being fair to everyone I met.
I was eyes to the blind
   and feet to the lame,
Father to the needy,
   and champion of abused aliens.
I grabbed street thieves by the scruff of the neck
   and made them give back what they'd stolen.
I thought, 'I'll die peacefully in my own bed,
   grateful for a long and full life,
A life deep-rooted and well-watered,
   a life limber and dew-fresh,
My soul suffused with glory
   and my body robust until the day I die.'

^21-25    "Men and women listened when I spoke,
   hung expectantly on my every word.
After I spoke, they'd be quiet,
   taking it all in.
They welcomed my counsel like spring rain,
   drinking it all in.
When I smiled at them, they could hardly believe it;
   their faces lit up, their troubles took wing!
I was their leader, establishing the mood
   and setting the pace by which they lived.
   Where I led, they followed."