Job 8
1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
And Bildad the Shuhite answers and says:
2 How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?
“Until when do you speak these things? And a strong wind—sayings of your mouth?
3 Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?
Does God pervert judgment? And does the Mighty One pervert justice?
4 If thy children have sinned against him, and he hath cast them away for their transgression;
If your sons have sinned before Him, And He sends them away, By the hand of their transgression,
5 If thou wouldest seek to God early, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
If you seek for God early, And make supplication to the Mighty,
6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
If you [are] pure and upright, Surely now He wakes for you, And has completed The habitation of your righteousness.
7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
And your beginning has been small, And your latter end is very great.
8 For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:
For inquire, please, of a former generation, And prepare for a search of their fathers,
9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow: )
For we [are] of yesterday, and we do not know, For our days [are] a shadow on earth.
10 Shall they not teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?
Do they not show you—speak to you, And from their heart bring forth words?
11 Can the rush grow without mire? can the flag grow without water?
Does a rush rise without a marsh? A reed increase without water?
12 While it is still green, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.
While it [is] in its budding—uncropped, Even before any herb it withers.
13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:
So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane perishes,
14 Whose confidence shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web.
Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.
15 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.
He leans on his house—and it does not stand, He takes hold on it—and it does not abide.
16 He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.
He [is] green before the sun, And over his garden his branch goes out.
17 His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.
His roots are wrapped by a heap, He looks for a house of stones.
18 If he shall be destroyed from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.
If [one] destroys him from his place, Then it has feigned concerning him, I have not seen you!
19 Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.
Behold, this [is] the joy of His way, And from the dust others spring up.
20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evildoers:
Behold, God does not reject the perfect, Nor takes hold on the hand of evildoers.
21 Till he shall fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.
While He fills your mouth with laughter, And your lips with shouting,
22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.
Those hating you put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!”
