^29:1 But Job added, taking up his parable, and said:
^29:2 Who will grant me that I may be as in the former months? According to the days when God was keeping me,
^29:3 when his lamp shone over my head, and by his light I walked in darkness,
^29:4 as I was in the days of my youth; when God was in secret in my tent;
^29:5 when the Almighty was with me, and my children were around me;
^29:6 when I washed my feet with butter, and the rock poured out streams of oil for me;
^29:7 when I went forth to the gate of the city, and in the square they prepared a chair for me.
^29:8 The young men saw me and hid themselves, and the old men, rising, stood.
^29:9 The princes ceased to speak and placed a finger over their mouth.
^29:10 The leaders restrained their voice, and their tongue adhered to their throat.
^29:11 The ear that heard called me blessed, and the eye that saw bore witness to me,
^29:12 because I had delivered the poor man crying out and the orphan for whom there was no helper.
^29:13 The blessing of one about to perish came upon me, and I consoled the heart of the widow.
^29:14 I was clothed with justice, and it clothed me like a garment, and with my judgment as with a diadem.
^29:15 I was an eye to the blind and a foot to the lame;
^29:16 I was the father of the poor. And the cause that I did not know I investigated most diligently.
^29:17 I broke the jaws of the unjust man, and from his teeth I took away the prey.
^29:18 And I said: In my little nest I shall die, and like a palm tree I shall multiply my days.
^29:19 My root is opened beside the waters, and dew will remain in my harvest.
^29:20 My glory will always be renewed, and my bow in my hand will be restored.
^29:21 Those who heard me awaited my sentence, and intent, they kept silence for my counsel.
^29:22 To my words they dared add nothing: my eloquence dripped upon them.
^29:23 They awaited me like rain, and they opened their mouth as for the late shower.
^29:24 If ever I smiled upon them, they did not believe it; and the light of my face did not fall to the ground.
^29:25 If I had wished to go to them, I sat first; and when I sat like a king with an army standing around, nevertheless I was the consoler of those who mourned.

393. But Job added, taking up his parable, and said: Who will grant me, etc. Because in the preceding words Job had shown in general the reason from which it clearly appears that it is not contrary to divine justice that the wicked prosper and the good sometimes lack temporal prosperity in this world, since greater things are granted to them, namely spiritual goods, he makes this manifest in himself as in an example, intending also to refute their opinion with respect to this, that they asserted he had suffered adversities because of sin. And first he recalls his past prosperity, which he used virtuously; then the greatness of the adversity into which he had fallen; and finally he demonstrates his innocence in many ways.

394. Now it is given to be understood that, just as after he had answered Bildad’s words, with Zophar silent, he proceeded to show his point, so also, when his point had been made manifest, he waited to see if any of the others would speak. But when all were silent, he himself took up the discourse again, whence it is said: Job also added, taking up his parable, because, namely, he was about to speak metaphorically, and he said: Who will grant me, which is placed more to designate desire than to form a petition, that I may be as in the former months, that is, that I may live in prosperity as once I did? And because he attributed this prosperity not to fortune nor to his own strength but to divine help, he adds: According to the days when God was keeping me, namely, protecting me against adversities and also directing me toward good things: in certain things indeed by leading me through to good effects even beyond my intention, and this is what he says: when his lamp shone, that is, his providence, over my head, that is, over my mind, directing me toward many good things to which my mind did not reach; but in certain things he was directed by God as though instructed by him concerning the things that were to be done, whence he adds: and by his light, that is, by his instruction, I walked, that is, I proceeded, in darkness, that is, in doubtful matters. And lest this be attributed to the merit of preceding justice, he adds: as I was in the days of my youth, when, namely, I had not yet been able to merit such prosperity.

395. Then he explains in order the goods of his past state, and he begins, as though from the chief one, from the divine familiarity that he perceived in prayer and contemplation, whence he says: when God was in secret in my tent, that is, I felt the presence of God while I prayed and meditated in secret in my tent, which pertains to contemplation; but with respect to action he adds: when the Almighty was with me, as though cooperating with me in acting well. Then he describes his prosperity on the part of his offspring when he adds: and my children were around me: for the sons of a father in his youth must be children. Further, he proceeds to the abundance of things that pertain to the use of life when he adds: when I washed my feet with butter. For among the ancients riches were chiefly in herds, from which, according to Augustine, money is named; but among the fruits of herds, butter, which is the fat of milk, seems more precious, and he designates its abundance metaphorically by the washing of feet, as if someone were to say that some precious liquid abounded for him even to the washing of his feet. And just as butter seems more precious among the fruits of animals, so also oil among the fruits of the earth; but olives having the best oil are accustomed to be in stony and sandy places, whence he adds: and the rock poured out streams of oil for me, by which he designates abundance and the goodness of the fruit.

396. Then he explains the greatness of his former glory when he adds: when I went forth to the gate of the city, by which he gives it to be understood that he had authority to judge, because among the ancients judgments were exercised in the gates. And to show that he was not like one of the lower judges, he adds: and in the square they placed a chair for me; by this it is shown that he was of singular dignity.

But he consequently shows the authority of his judgment,

first indeed by a sign taken from the part of the young men when he says: The young men saw me, who, namely, are accustomed to be prone to sins, and hid themselves, as though, namely, fearing my judgment.

Second, with respect to the old men, when he adds: and the old men, rising, stood, as though, namely, subject to my judgment: for he had authority not only to judge young men but also old men.

Third, with respect to the rulers of cities, who showed reverence for his judgment,

first indeed with respect to the fact that they left off words already begun when he wished to speak, whence he adds: The princes ceased to speak;

second, because when he was speaking they did not dare interrupt him, whence he adds: and placed a finger over their mouth.

Fourth, with respect to the leaders of wars, who are accustomed to be bolder and more ready to speak, yet who did not dare to speak presumptuously and tumultuously before him, whence he adds: The leaders restrained their voice, namely, by speaking plainly and humbly; and sometimes they were so greatly stupefied that they did not dare to speak at all, whence he adds: and their tongue adhered to their throat, as though they were unable to speak.

397. And because men of such strict authority are usually feared by the people rather than loved, he shows that he was lovable to the people, because it belongs to a magnanimous man to preserve authority among the great and yet to condescend to the lesser; whence he adds: The ear that heard, namely, from others, that is, heard my glory or my judgments recounted, did not hate or envy, but called me blessed, that is, regarded me as blessed and wished blessedness for me, and this pertains to those absent; but with respect to those present he adds: and the eye that saw, namely, my glory and judgments, bore witness, namely, concerning virtue, to me, namely, before others, and this because of the works of mercy that I exercised.

And he shows this first with respect to the poor, whence he adds: because I had delivered, namely, from the hand of the oppressor, the poor man crying out, that is, complaining;

second, with respect to orphans, whence he adds: and the orphan for whom there was no helper, namely, because his father had been lost;

third, with respect to men existing in dangers, whence he adds: The blessing of one about to perish came upon me, that is, one who was in dangers, having been helped by me, blessed me;

fourth, with respect to widows, whence he adds: and I consoled the heart of the widow, because, namely, she had lost the solace of a husband.

398. But one should not so show mercy to some in judgment that justice is abandoned, whence he adds: I was clothed with justice, that is, justice appeared on every side in my proceedings, for a man is surrounded on every side by a garment; and to show that he did justice not by compulsion but voluntarily, he adds: and I clothed myself, as though of my own accord, putting on justice like a garment, namely, protecting and adorning on every side. But just as in the contest of wars a crown is given to the victors, so also the judge, when through his judgment he grants victory to justice, merits a crown, whence he adds: and with my judgment as with a diadem, as if to say: I was clothed with my judgment as with a diadem. And to show how, together with justice, he was able to preserve mercy, he adds: I was an eye to the blind, that is, I instructed the simple how they should proceed in their affairs, lest they suffer harm through ignorance; and because he not only gave counsel to the ignorant but also help to the powerless, he adds: and a foot to the lame, that is, I gave help to one who could not proceed in his own affair, so that he could proceed;

he also protected those who lacked protection, whence he adds: I was the father of the poor, namely, by protecting and fostering them. But sometimes some calumniously harm the simple, the powerless, and the poor by fraud; against this he applied diligent solicitude, so that he might exclude the calumnious proceedings of the malicious, whence he adds: And the cause that I did not know I investigated most diligently, lest, namely, any fraud lie hidden there. But some oppress the poor by violence, in some way swallowing them up through plunder; Job destroyed their violence by his own power, whence he adds: I broke the jaws of the unjust man, that is, I destroyed the rapacity of violence, lest, namely, he could plunder further, and from his teeth I took away the prey, because, namely, he compelled them to restore what they had already taken by plunder.

399. But from the aforesaid good works he trusted that his prosperity would endure;

he first describes its continuation with respect to his own person, whence he adds: And I said: In my little nest I shall die, that is, because of my preceding merits I hoped that I would die in the quiet of my house, not as an exile from home nor even with my house disturbed; nor, however, did he believe that he would be overtaken by an untimely death, whence he adds: and like a palm tree, which, namely, lives for a very long time, I shall multiply my days, namely, by longevity of life.

Second, he describes the continuity of prosperity with respect to riches, whose increase he describes, adding: My root is opened beside the waters; for trees that have roots beside waters are accustomed to abound in fruits, whence by this he designates the multiplication of temporal fruits. But sometimes it happens that the fruits of some man are multiplied, yet because of certain impediments that come upon him he cannot gather them; and to exclude this he adds: and dew will remain in my harvest. For in hot lands it happens that, because of the vehemence of heat, reapers cannot remain in the field to reap, but a cloud of dew provides refreshment for them so that they are not impeded from reaping, according to Isaiah 18:4: like a cloud of dew in the days of harvest.

Third, he describes the continuity of his progress with respect to glory when he adds: My glory will always be renewed, namely, through the good works that he proposed to multiply.

Fourth, with respect to the continuation of power he adds: and my bow in my hand will be restored; for by the bow power is designated, since Eastern peoples especially use such arms in wars.

400. Thus, therefore, in the preceding things he described both the severity and the mercy that he exhibited in judging, but now, third, he shows how he also used wisdom; and

first indeed in judgments, and with respect to this he says: Those who heard me, as though subject to my judgment, awaited my sentence, namely, mine, believing that they would hear something most wise; but with respect to counsels he adds: and intent, they kept silence for my counsel, namely, awaiting it and listening eagerly. And after I had given counsel, they were content with it, whence he adds: To my words they dared add nothing, because, namely, of the great wisdom that they thought to be in me; and not only did they hold my counsel firm, but they were also consoled in it, perceiving it to be effective for attaining their purpose, whence he adds: my eloquence dripped upon them, that is, it refreshed them in the manner of drops.

401. Therefore, because he had already said what sort of man he was in judgments and in counsels, he consequently shows what sort of man he was in the common association of men,

and first he shows that he was gracious, because when he was absent, his presence was desired, whence he says: They awaited me like rain, by which, namely, men are refreshed; but when he was present, they were consoled by his appearance and words, whence he adds: and their mouth, that is, their mind, they opened, namely, toward me so that they might receive consolation, and this is what he adds: as for the late shower, which, namely, provides refreshment after the heat of the day.

Second, he shows that he was moderate in association: for he was not dissolved by joy, whence he says: If ever I smiled upon them, namely, showing some signs of gladness, they did not believe it, namely, that I was given to laughter; similarly, he was not cast down by sadness, whence he adds: and the light of my face did not fall to the ground: for men cast down by sorrow are accustomed to have their eyes lowered to the ground.

Third, he shows that he was not immoderate about honors, because, namely, he neither desired them, whence he adds: If I had wished to go to them, which nevertheless I did not do easily, I sat first, namely, existing among them in honor; nor, however, was he arrogant in honors, whence he adds: and when I sat like a king with an army standing around, namely, with all marveling at me on every side, nevertheless I was the consoler of those who mourned, as one not despising them.