Job 8
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: —
2 “How long will you go on saying such things? The words of your mouth are a blustering wind.
Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind — sayings of thy mouth?
3 Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?
Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?
4 When your children sinned against Him, He gave them over to their rebellion.
If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,
5 But if you would earnestly seek God and ask the Almighty for mercy,
If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,
6 if you are pure and upright, even now He will rouse Himself on your behalf and restore your righteous estate.
If pure and upright thou [art], Surely now He waketh for thee, And hath completed The habitation of thy righteousness.
7 Though your beginnings were modest, your latter days will flourish.
And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.
8 Please inquire of past generations and consider the discoveries of their fathers.
For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,
9 For we were born yesterday and know nothing; our days on earth are but a shadow.
(For of yesterday we [are], and we know not, For a shadow [are] our days on earth.)
10 Will they not teach you and tell you, and speak from their understanding?
Do they not shew thee — speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?
11 Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water?
'Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?
12 While the shoots are still uncut, they dry up quicker than grass.
While it [is] in its budding — uncropped, Even before any herb it withereth.
13 Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so the hope of the godless will perish.
So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,
14 His confidence is fragile; his security is in a spider’s web.
Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.
15 He leans on his web, but it gives way; he holds fast, but it does not endure.
He leaneth on his house — and it standeth not: He taketh hold on it — and it abideth not.
16 He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine, spreading its shoots over the garden.
Green he [is] before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.
17 His roots wrap around the rock heap; he looks for a home among the stones.
By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.
18 If he is uprooted from his place, it will disown him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’
If [one] doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee!
19 Surely this is the joy of his way; yet others will spring from the dust.
Lo, this [is] the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.'
20 Behold, God does not reject the blameless, nor will He strengthen the hand of evildoers.
Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with a shout of joy.
While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,
22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”
Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!
