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29:1  Job began speaking again.
29:2  If only my life could once again be as it was when God watched over me.
29:3  God was always with me then and gave me light as I walked through the darkness.
29:4  Those were the days when I was prosperous, and the friendship of God protected my home.
29:5  Almighty God was with me then, and I was surrounded by all my children.
29:6  My cows and goats gave plenty of milk, and my olive trees grew in the rockiest soil.
29:7  Whenever the city elders met and I took my place among them,
29:8  young men stepped aside as soon as they saw me, and old men stood up to show me respect.
29:9  The leaders of the people would stop talking;
29:10  even the most important men kept silent.
29:11  Everyone who saw me or heard of me had good things to say about what I had done.
29:12  When the poor cried out, I helped them; I gave help to orphans who had nowhere to turn.
29:13  People who were in deepest misery praised me, and I helped widows find security.
29:14  I have always acted justly and fairly.
29:15  I was eyes for the blind, and feet for the lame.
29:16  I was like a father to the poor and took the side of strangers in trouble.
29:17  I destroyed the power of cruel men and rescued their victims.
29:18  I always expected to live a long life and to die at home in comfort.
29:19  I was like a tree whose roots always have water and whose branches are wet with dew.
29:20  Everyone was always praising me, and my strength never failed me.
29:21  When I gave advice, people were silent and listened carefully to what I said;
29:22  they had nothing to add when I had finished. My words sank in like drops of rain;
29:23  everyone welcomed them just as farmers welcome rain in spring.
29:24  I smiled on them when they had lost confidence; my cheerful face encouraged them.
29:25  I took charge and made the decisions; I led them as a king leads his troops, and gave them comfort in their despair.