Job 8
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite made answer and said,
And Bildad the Shuhite answers and says:
2 How long will you say these things, and how long will the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?
“Until when do you speak these things? And a strong wind—sayings of your mouth?
3 Does God give wrong decisions? or is the Ruler of all not upright in his judging?
Does God pervert judgment? And does the Mighty One pervert justice?
4 If your children have done evil against him, then their punishment is from his hand.
If your sons have sinned before Him, And He sends them away, By the hand of their transgression,
5 If you will make search for God with care, and put your request before the Ruler of all;
If you seek for God early, And make supplication to the Mighty,
6 If you are clean and upright; then he will certainly be moved to take up your cause, and will make clear your righteousness by building up your house again.
If you [are] pure and upright, Surely now He wakes for you, And has completed The habitation of your righteousness.
7 And though your start was small, your end will be very great.
And your beginning has been small, And your latter end is very great.
8 Put the question now to the past generations, and give attention to what has been searched out by their fathers:
For inquire, please, of a former generation, And prepare for a search of their fathers,
9 (For we are but of yesterday, and have no knowledge, because our days on earth are gone like a shade: )
For we [are] of yesterday, and we do not know, For our days [are] a shadow on earth.
10 Will they not give you teaching, and say words of wisdom to you?
Do they not show you—speak to you, And from their heart bring forth words?
11 Will the river-plant come up in its pride without wet earth? will the grass get tall without water?
Does a rush rise without a marsh? A reed increase without water?
12 When it is still green, without being cut down, it becomes dry and dead before any other plant.
While it [is] in its budding—uncropped, Even before any herb it withers.
13 So is the end of all who do not keep God in mind; and the hope of the evil-doer comes to nothing:
So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane perishes,
14 Whose support is cut off, and whose hope is no stronger than a spider's thread.
Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.
15 He is looking to his family for support, but it is not there; he puts his hope in it, but it comes to nothing.
He leans on his house—and it does not stand, He takes hold on it—and it does not abide.
16 He is full of strength before the sun, and his branches go out over his garden.
He [is] green before the sun, And over his garden his branch goes out.
17 His roots are twisted round the stones, forcing their way in between them.
His roots are wrapped by a heap, He looks for a house of stones.
18 If he is taken away from his place, then it will say, I have not seen you.
If [one] destroys him from his place, Then it has feigned concerning him, I have not seen you!
19 Such is the joy of his way, and out of the dust another comes up to take his place.
Behold, this [is] the joy of His way, And from the dust others spring up.
20 Truly, God will not give up him who is without sin, and will not take evil-doers by the hand.
Behold, God does not reject the perfect, Nor takes hold on the hand of evildoers.
21 The time will come when your mouth will be full of laughing, and cries of joy will come from your lips.
While He fills your mouth with laughter, And your lips with shouting,
22 Your haters will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the sinner will not be seen again.
Those hating you put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!”
