| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Job further continued his discourse, and said: | 1And Job continued his discourse: |
| 2“Oh, that I were as in months past, As in the days when God watched over me; | 2“How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, |
| 3When His lamp shone upon my head, And when by His light I walked through darkness; | 3when His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through the darkness, |
| 4Just as I was in the days of my prime, When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent; | 4when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God rested on my tent, |
| 5When the Almighty was yet with me, When my children were around me; | 5when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, |
| 6When my steps were bathed with cream, And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me! | 6when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil! |
| 7“When I went out to the gate by the city, When I took my seat in the open square, | 7When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square, |
| 8The young men saw me and hid, And the aged arose and stood; | 8the young men saw me and withdrew, and the old men rose to their feet. |
| 9The princes refrained from talking, And put their hand on their mouth; | 9The princes refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands. |
| 10The voice of nobles was hushed, And their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. | 10The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths. |
| 11When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me; | 11For those who heard me called me blessed, and those who saw me commended me, |
| 12Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper. | 12because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper. |
| 13The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. | 13The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy. |
| 14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. | 14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; justice was my robe and my turban. |
| 15I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. | 15I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame. |
| 16I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know. | 16I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger. |
| 17I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth. | 17I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth. |
| 18“Then I said, ‘I shall die in my nest, And multiply my days as the sand. | 18So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest and multiply my days as the sand. |
| 19My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lies all night on my branch. | 19My roots will spread out to the waters, and the dew will rest nightly on my branches. |
| 20My glory is fresh within me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.’ | 20My glory is ever new within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.’ |
| 21“Men listened to me and waited, And kept silence for my counsel. | 21Men listened to me with expectation, waiting silently for my counsel. |
| 22After my words they did not speak again, And my speech settled on them as dew. | 22After my words, they spoke no more; my speech settled on them like dew. |
| 23They waited for me as for the rain, And they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain. | 23They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers. |
| 24If I mocked at them, they did not believe it, And the light of my countenance they did not cast down. | 24If I smiled at them, they did not believe it; the light of my countenance was precious. |
| 25I chose the way for them, and sat as chief; So I dwelt as a king in the army, As one who comforts mourners. | 25I chose their course and presided as chief. So I dwelt as a king among his troops, as a comforter of the mourners. |
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