Job 8
1 Then Bildad, from [the] Shuah [area], spoke to Job. He said,
And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: —
2 “Job, how much longer will you talk like this? What you say is [only] hot air.
Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind — sayings of thy mouth?
3 Almighty God certainly never does [RHQ] what is unfair/unjust. He always does [LIT] what is right/fair.
Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?
4 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.
If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,
5 But, if you will [now] earnestly request [DOU] Almighty [God] to help you,
If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,
6 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.
If pure and upright thou [art], Surely now He waketh for thee, And hath completed The habitation of thy righteousness.
7 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.
And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.
8 “I request you to think about what happened long ago and consider what our ancestors found out.
For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,
9 [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].
(For of yesterday we [are], and we know not, For a shadow [are] our days on earth.)
10 So, why do you not allow your ancestors to teach you and tell you something? Allow them to tell you from what they learned!
Do they not shew thee — speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?
11 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.
'Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?
12 [If they do not have enough water], while they are still blossoming, they wither more quickly than other plants wither.
While it [is] in its budding — uncropped, Even before any herb it withereth.
13 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].
So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,
14 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.
Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.
15 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.
He leaneth on his house — and it standeth not: He taketh hold on it — and it abideth not.
16 Godless people [are like plants] [MET] that are watered before the sun rises; their shoots spread all over the gardens.
Green he [is] before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.
17 The roots of those plants twist around piles of stones and cling tightly to rocks.
By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.
18 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].
If [one] doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee!
19 Truly, evil people [MET] are not joyful [IRO] for a long time; other people come and take their places.
Lo, this [is] the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.'
20 :So, [I tell you, Job], God will not reject you if you are truly godly/righteous, but he does not help [IDM] evil people.
Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.
21 He will enable you [MTY] to continually laugh and to always shout [joyfully].
While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,
22 But those who hate you will be very ashamed, and the homes of wicked people will disappear.”
Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!
