Job 8

1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said:

Then Baldad the Sauchite answered, and said,

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

How long wilt thou speak these things, [how long shall] the breath of thy mouth [be] abundant in words?

3 Will God pervert judgment? Or will the Almighty pervert justice?

Will the Lord be unjust when he judges; or will he that has made all things pervert justice?

4 As thy children sinned against him, He hath given them up to their transgression.

If thy sons have sinned before him, he has cast them away because of their transgression.

5 But if thou wilt seek early to God, And make thy supplication to the Almighty, —

But be thou early in prayer to the Lord Almighty.

6 If thou wilt be pure and upright, Surely he will yet arise for thee, And prosper thy righteous habitation;

If thou art pure and true, he will hearken to thy supplication, and will restore to thee the habitation of righteousness.

7 So that thy beginning shall be small, And thy latter end very great.

Though then thy beginning should be small, yet thy end should be unspeakably great.

8 For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, And mark what hath been searched out by their fathers;

For ask of the former generation, and search diligently among the race of [our] fathers:

9 (For we are of yesterday and know nothing, Since our days upon the earth are but a shadow; )

(for we are of yesterday, and know nothing; for our life upon the earth is a shadow: )

10 Will not they instruct thee, and tell thee, And utter words from their understanding?

shall not these teach thee, and report [to thee], and bring out words from [their] heart?

11 “Can the paper-reed grow up without mire? Can the bulrush grow without water?

Does the rush flourish without water, or shall the flag grow up without moisture?

12 While it is yet in its greenness, and is not cut down, It withereth before any other herb.

When it is yet on the root, and [though] it has not been cut down, does not any herb wither before it has received moisture?

13 Such is the fate of all who forget God; So perisheth the hope of the ungodly.

Thus then shall be the end of all that forget the Lord: for the hope of the ungodly shall perish.

14 His confidence shall come to nought, And his trust shall prove a spider's web.

For his house shall be without inhabitants, and his tent shall prove a spider's web.

15 He shall lean upon his house, and it shall not stand; He shall lay fast hold on it, but it shall not endure.

If he should prop up his house, it shall not stand: and when he has taken hold of it, it shall not remain.

16 He is in full green before the sun, And his branches shoot forth over his garden;

For it is moist under the sun, and his branch shall come forth out of his dung-heap.

17 His roots are entwined about the heap, And he seeth the place of stones;

He lies down upon a gathering of stones, and shall live in the mist of flints.

18 When he shall be destroyed from his place, It shall deny him, saying, 'I never saw thee.'

If [God] should destroy [him], his place shall deny him. Hast thou not seen such things,

19 Lo! such is the joy of his course! And others shall spring up from his place”

that such is the overthrow of the ungodly? and out of the earth another shall grow.

20 Behold, God will not cast away an upright man; Nor will he help the evil-doers.

For the Lord will by no means reject the harmless man; but he will not receive any gift of the ungodly.

21 While he filleth thy mouth with laughter, And thy lips with gladness,

But he will fill with laughter the mouth of the sincere, and their lips with thanksgiving.

22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame, And the dwelling-place of the wicked shall come to nought.

But their adversaries shall clothe themselves with shame; and the habitation of the ungodly shall perish.