Job 8

1 THEN answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: —

2 How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind — sayings of thy mouth?

3 Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?

Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?

4 If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;

If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,

5 If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;

If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,

6 If thou wert 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 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should 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 prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:

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 not they 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 the flag grow without water?

'Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?

12 Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.

While it [is] in its budding — uncropped, Even before any herb it withereth.

13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:

So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,

14 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be 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 it fast, 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 branch shooteth forth in his garden.

Green he [is] before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.

17 His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.

By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.

18 If he destroy him 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 shall others grow.

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, neither will he help the evil doers:

Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.

21 Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.

While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,

22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!