Job 8

1 Then responded Bildad the Shuhite, and said: —

Then Bildad, from [the] Shuah [area], spoke to Job. He said,

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

“Job, how much longer will you talk like this? What you say is [only] hot air.

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

Almighty God certainly never does [RHQ] what is unfair/unjust. He always does [LIT] what is right/fair.

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

So, it is evident that your children have sinned against him, therefore he has caused them to be punished for evil things that they have done.

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

But, if you will [now] earnestly request [DOU] Almighty [God] to help you,

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

and if you are pure and honest/righteous, he will surely do something good for you and reward you by giving your family back to you and enabling you to prosper.

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

And even though you [think that you] were not very prosperous/wealthy before, during the last part of your life you will become very wealthy.

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

“I request you to think about what happened long ago and consider what our ancestors found out.

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

[It seems as though] we were born only yesterday and we know very little [HYP]; our time here on the earth [disappears quickly, like] a shadow [MET].

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

So, why do you not allow your ancestors to teach you and tell you something? Allow them to tell you from what they learned!

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

Papyrus can certainly not [RHQ] grow in places where there is no marsh/swamp; reeds certainly cannot [RHQ] flourish/grow where there is no water.

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

[If they do not have enough water], while they are still blossoming, they wither more quickly than other plants wither.

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

Those who do not pay attention to what God says are like those [reeds]; godless people stop confidently expecting [that good things will happen to them].

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

The things they confidently expect to happen do not happen; things they trust [will help them] are [as fragile as] [MET] a spider’s web.

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

If they lean against a house (OR, trust in their wealth; OR, lean on a spider web), it does not (endure/protect them) [LIT]; they cling to things [to be protected], but those things do not remain firm.

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

Godless people [are like plants] [MET] that are watered before the sun rises; their shoots spread all over the gardens.

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

The roots of those plants twist around piles of stones and cling tightly to rocks.

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

But if those plants are pulled out, [it is as though] the place where they were planted says ‘They were never here!’ [And that is what happens to wicked people who do not heed what God says].

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

Truly, evil people [MET] are not joyful [IRO] for a long time; other people come and take their places.

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

:So, [I tell you, Job], God will not reject you if you are truly godly/righteous, but he does not help [IDM] evil people.

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

He will enable you [MTY] to continually laugh and to always shout [joyfully].

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

But those who hate you will be very ashamed, and the homes of wicked people will disappear.”