Job 8

1 But Baldad the Suhite, responding, said:

Then responded Bildad the Shuhite, and said: —

2 How long will you speak this way, so that the words of your mouth are like a changeable wind?

How long wilt thou speak these things? Or, as a mighty wind, shall be the sayings of thy mouth?

3 Does God supplant judgment, or does the Almighty subvert that which is just?

Should, GOD, pervert justice? Or, the Almighty, pervert righteousness?

4 And if now your children have sinned against him, and he has dismissed them into the power of their iniquity,

Though, thy children, sinned against him, and he delivered them into the hand of their transgression,

5 even so, you should arise early to God, so as to beseech the Almighty.

Yet, if, thou thyself, wilt diligently seek unto GOD, —and, unto the Almighty, wilt make supplication;

6 If you approach with purity and honesty, he will quickly be attentive to you, and a peaceful life will repay your righteousness,

If, pure and upright, thou thyself, art, surely, now, will he answer thy prayer, and will prosper thy righteous habitation:

7 so much so that, if your former things were small, your latter things would be multiplied greatly.

So shall thy beginning appear small, —when, thy latter end, he shall greatly increase!

8 For inquire of the earliest generation, and investigate diligently the history of the fathers,

For inquire, I pray thee, of a former generation, and prepare thyself for the research of their fathers; —

9 (of course, we are but of yesterday and are ignorant that our days on earth are like a shadow, )

For, of yesterday, are, we, and cannot know, for, a shadow, are our days upon earth:

10 and they will teach you; they will speak with you and will offer you the eloquence of their hearts.

Shall, they, not teach thee—tell thee, and, out of their memory, bring forth words?

11 Can the marsh plant live without moisture? Or can sedges grow without water?

Can the paper-reed grow up, without a marsh? Or the rush grow up, without water?

12 When it is still in flower, and has not been pulled up by hand, it withers before all other plants.

Though while still, in its freshness, it be not plucked off, yet, before any kind of grass, it doth wither:

13 Just so are the ways of all who forget God, and the hope of the hypocrite will perish.

So, shall be the latter end of all who forget GOD, and, the hope of the impious, shall perish:

14 His frenzy will not please him, and his faith will be like a spider’s web.

Whose trust shall be contemptible, —and, a spider’s web, his confidence:

15 He will lean on his house, and it will not stand; he will prop it up, but it will not rise.

He leaneth upon his house, and it will not stand, he holdeth it fast, and it will not remain erect.

16 He seems to have moisture before the sun arrives; and at sunrise, his sprout shoots forth.

Full of moisture he is, before the sun, and, over his garden, his shoot goeth forth:

17 His roots will crowd together over a heap of stones, and among the stones he will remain.

Over a heap, his roots are entwined, a place of stones, he descrieth;

18 If someone is devoured right beside him, he will deny him and will say: “I do not know you.”

If one destroy him out of his place, then will it disown him [saying] —I have not seen thee.

19 For this is the benefit of his way, that others in turn may spring up from the earth.

Lo! that, is the joy of his way, —and, out of the dust, shall others spring up.

20 God will not discard the simple, nor will he extend his hand to the spiteful,

Lo! GOD, will not reject a blameless man, neither will he grasp the hand of evil-doers:

21 even until your mouth is filled with laughter and your lips with rejoicing.

At length he shall fill with laughter thy mouth, and thy lips, with a shout of triumph:

22 Those who hate you, will be clothed with confusion, and the tabernacle of the impious will not continue.

They who hate thee, shall be clothed with shame, but, the tent of the lawless, shall not be!