Job 8
1 And Bildad the Shuhite answers and says:
Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,
2 “Until when do you speak these things? And a strong wind—sayings of your mouth?
“How long will you say these things? How long will the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3 Does God pervert judgment? And does the Mighty One pervert justice?
Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert righteousness?
4 If your sons have sinned before Him, And He sends them away, By the hand of their transgression,
Your children have sinned against him; we know this, for he gave them into the hand of their sins.
5 If you seek for God early, And make supplication to the Mighty,
But suppose you diligently sought God and presented your request to the Almighty.
6 If you [are] pure and upright, Surely now He wakes for you, And has completed The habitation of your righteousness.
If you are pure and upright, then he would surely stir himself on your behalf and restore you to your rightful place.
7 And your beginning has been small, And your latter end is very great.
Even though your beginning was small, still your final condition would be much greater.
8 For inquire, please, of a former generation, And prepare for a search of their fathers,
Please ask the former generations, and give your attention to what our ancestors learned.
9 For we [are] of yesterday, and we do not know, For our days [are] a shadow on earth.
(We were only born yesterday and know nothing because our days on earth are a shadow).
10 Do they not show you—speak to you, And from their heart bring forth words?
Will they not teach you and tell you? Will they not speak words from their hearts?
11 Does a rush rise without a marsh? A reed increase without water?
Can papyrus grow without a marsh? Can reeds grow without water?
12 While it [is] in its budding—uncropped, Even before any herb it withers.
While they are still green and not cut down, they wither before any other plant.
13 So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane perishes,
So also are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of the godless will perish.
14 Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.
His confidence will break apart, and his trust is as weak as a spider's web.
15 He leans on his house—and it does not stand, He takes hold on it—and it does not abide.
He leans on his house, but it will not support him; he takes hold of it, but it does not stand.
16 He [is] green before the sun, And over his garden his branch goes out.
Under the sun he is green, and his shoots go out over his entire garden.
17 His roots are wrapped by a heap, He looks for a house of stones.
His roots are wrapped about the heaps of stone; they look for good places among the rocks.
18 If [one] destroys him from his place, Then it has feigned concerning him, I have not seen you!
But if this person is destroyed out of his place, then that place will deny him and say, 'I never saw you.'
19 Behold, this [is] the joy of His way, And from the dust others spring up.
See, this is the “joy” of such a person's behavior; other plants will sprout out of the same soil in his place.
20 Behold, God does not reject the perfect, Nor takes hold on the hand of evildoers.
See, God will not cast away an innocent man; neither will he take the hand of evildoers.
21 While He fills your mouth with laughter, And your lips with shouting,
He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, your lips with shouting.
22 Those hating you put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!”
Those who hate you will be clothed with shame; the tent of the wicked will be no more.”
