Job 8
1 And Bildad the Shuhite answers and says:
Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,
2 “Until when do you speak these things? And a strong wind—sayings of your mouth?
“How long will you speak these things? Shall 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? Or does the Almighty pervert righteousness?
4 If your sons have sinned before Him, And He sends them away, By the hand of their transgression,
If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their disobedience.
5 If you seek for God early, And make supplication to the Mighty,
If you want to seek God diligently, make your supplication 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 were pure and upright, surely now he would awaken for you, and make the habitation of your righteousness prosperous.
7 And your beginning has been small, And your latter end is very great.
Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would greatly increase.
8 For inquire, please, of a former generation, And prepare for a search of their fathers,
“Please inquire of past generations. Find out about the learning of their fathers.
9 For we [are] of yesterday, and we do not know, For our days [are] a shadow on earth.
(For we are but of 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?
Shall they not teach you, tell you, and utter words out of their heart?
11 Does a rush rise without a marsh? A reed increase without water?
“Can the papyrus grow up without mire? Can the rushes grow without water?
12 While it [is] in its budding—uncropped, Even before any herb it withers.
While it is yet in its greenness, not cut down, it withers before any other reed.
13 So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane perishes,
So are the paths of all who forget God. The hope of the godless man will perish,
14 Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.
whose confidence will break apart, whose trust is 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 will lean on his house, but it will not stand. He will cling to it, but it will not endure.
16 He [is] green before the sun, And over his garden his branch goes out.
He is green before the sun. His shoots go out along his garden.
17 His roots are wrapped by a heap, He looks for a house of stones.
His roots are wrapped around the rock pile. He sees the place of stones.
18 If [one] destroys him from his place, Then it has feigned concerning him, I have not seen you!
If he is destroyed from his place, then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have not seen you.’
19 Behold, this [is] the joy of His way, And from the dust others spring up.
Behold, this is the joy of his way. Out of the earth, others will spring.
20 Behold, God does not reject the perfect, Nor takes hold on the hand of evildoers.
“Behold, God will not cast away a blameless man, neither will he uphold the evildoers.
21 While He fills your mouth with laughter, And your lips with shouting,
He will still 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.”
