Job 29:16

I was a father ¹  to the needy, and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;

I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger.

"I was a father to the needy, And I investigated the case which I did not know.

I was a father to the poor and made sure that even strangers received a fair trial.

Father to the needy, and champion of abused aliens.

I was a father to the poor, searching out the cause of him who was strange to me.

I was a father to the needy, and I championed the cause of the stranger.

I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know.

I was a father ¹  to the needy, and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;

¹ sn The word “father” does not have a wide range of meanings in the OT. But there are places that it is metaphorical, especially in a legal setting like this where the poor need aid.