Job 8
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, and said,
And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: —
2 How long will thou speak these things? And how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a mighty wind?
Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind — sayings of thy mouth?
3 Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert righteousness?
Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?
4 If thy sons have sinned against him, and he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression,
If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,
5 if thou would seek diligently to God, and make thy supplication to the Almighty,
If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,
6 if thou were pure and upright, surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
If pure and upright thou [art], Surely now He waketh for thee, And hath completed The habitation of thy righteousness.
7 And though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end would greatly increase.
And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.
8 For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and apply thyself to that which their fathers have searched out
For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,
9 (for we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow).
(For of yesterday we [are], and we know not, For a shadow [are] our days on earth.)
10 Shall they not teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?
Do they not shew thee — speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?
11 Can the rush grow up without mire? Can a reed grow without water?
'Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?
12 While it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down, it withers before any other herb.
While it [is] in its budding — uncropped, Even before any herb it withereth.
13 So are the paths of all who forget God. And the hope of the profane man shall perish,
So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,
14 whose confidence shall break apart, and whose trust is a spider's web.
Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.
15 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand. He shall hold fast thereby, but it shall not endure.
He leaneth on his house — and it standeth not: He taketh hold on it — and it abideth not.
16 He is green before the sun, and his shoots go forth over his garden.
Green he [is] before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.
17 His roots are wrapped around the stone heap. He beholds the place of stones.
By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.
18 If he is destroyed from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.
If [one] doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee!
19 Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth others shall spring.
Lo, this [is] the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.'
20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, nor will he uphold the evildoers.
Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.
21 He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, and thy lips with shouting.
While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,
22 Those who hate thee shall be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked shall be no more.
Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!
