| New King James Version | New International Version |
| 1Job further continued his discourse, and said: | 1Job 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 on my head and by his light I walked through darkness! |
| 4Just as I was in the days of my prime, When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent; | 4Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God's intimate friendship blessed my house, |
| 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 path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil. |
| 7“When I went out to the gate by the city, When I took my seat in the open square, | 7"When I went to the gate of the city 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 stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet; |
| 9The princes refrained from talking, And put their hand on their mouth; | 9the chief men 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 roof of their mouths. |
| 11When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me; | 11Whoever heard me spoke well of me, 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 for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them. |
| 13The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. | 13The one who was dying blessed me; I made the widow's heart sing. |
| 14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. | 14I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. |
| 15I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. | 15I was eyes to the blind and 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; I took up the case of the stranger. |
| 17I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth. | 17I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth. |
| 18“Then I said, ‘I shall die in my nest, And multiply my days as the sand. | 18"I thought, 'I will die in my own house, my days as numerous as the grains of sand. |
| 19My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lies all night on my branch. | 19My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie all night on my branches. |
| 20My glory is fresh within me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.’ | 20My glory will not fade; the bow will be ever new in my hand.' |
| 21“Men listened to me and waited, And kept silence for my counsel. | 21"People listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel. |
| 22After my words they did not speak again, And my speech settled on them as dew. | 22After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears. |
| 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 showers and drank in my words as the spring rain. |
| 24If I mocked at them, they did not believe it, And the light of my countenance they did not cast down. | 24When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them. |
| 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 the way for them and sat as their chief; I dwelt as a king among his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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