Oh how I wish I were back in those days when God kept me well and shined His good light on my head.

 

 

When the Lord God was still with me and my children were surrounding me.

 

 

 

When all my days were so smooth and easy and happy.

 

When princes thought I was important and listened very hard and quietly to everything I said.

 

 

 

 

 

I helped people who needed help, children without parents and women who had no husbands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I stopped the bad ones from doing and saying bad things.

 

 

 

 

I helped the blind

 

 

 

 

 

 

and people who couldn’t walk.

 

I told people the right way to go to make their lives happy and good with the Lord God.

 

 

 

 

I helped people who were sad and I was like a king living with his people.

 

 

But now everyone hates to look at me. They spit in my face. I am so sad.

 

 

I promised my heart that I wouldn’t look at and want for myself other men’s wives.

Let God look and see that I haven’t done anything bad. If I have, then let bad things happen to me.

 

 

 

I have not wanted lots of gold or money or held it high in my heart.

 

 

 

 

I haven’t thought that I am anyone special or better than other people or that I myself am someone to trust or hold high in my heart.

I take good care of my land and pay the right prices to others for their crops or goods or food.

 

 

 

 

I always let travelers stay at my home

 

 

 

 

and give them food when they are hungry.

 

 

I don’t hide it when I do or say the wrong thing, like Adam, but tell the Lord about it

 

 

and let Him cover it with His promise and take it away from me and help me do better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want so badly for the Lord God to answer me about all this.

 

 

 

Job was done talking then and the three friends were done talking because Job was so sure that he was right.

But a young man named Elihu had been sitting with the crowds listening to these men talk and he got angry because they couldn’t figure it out for Job.