Job 8
1 And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: —
Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said:
2 Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind — sayings of thy mouth?
How long wilt thou speak these things, seeing that the words of thy mouth are as a mighty wind?
3 Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?
Doth God pervert judgment? Or doth the Almighty pervert justice?
4 If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,
If thy children sinned against Him, He delivered them into the hand of their transgression.
5 If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,
If thou wouldest seek earnestly unto God, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
6 If pure and upright thou [art], Surely now He waketh for thee, And hath completed The habitation of thy righteousness.
If thou wert pure and upright; surely now He would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
7 And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.
And though thy beginning was small, yet thy end should greatly increase.
8 For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,
For inquire, I pray thee, of the former generation, and apply thyself to that which their fathers have searched out —
9 (For of yesterday we [are], and we know not, For a shadow [are] our days on earth.)
For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow —
10 Do they not shew thee — speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?
Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?
11 'Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?
Can the rush shoot up without mire? Can the reed-grass grow without water?
12 While it [is] in its budding — uncropped, Even before any herb it withereth.
Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.
13 So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,
So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hope of the godless man shall perish;
14 Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.
Whose confidence is gossamer, and whose trust is a spider's web.
15 He leaneth on his house — and it standeth not: He taketh hold on it — and it abideth not.
He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand; he shall hold fast thereby, but it shall not endure.
16 Green he [is] before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.
He is green before the sun, and his shoots go forth over his garden.
17 By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.
His roots are wrapped about the heap, he beholdeth the place of stones.
18 If [one] doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee!
If he be destroyed from his place, then it shall deny him: 'I have not seen thee.'
19 Lo, this [is] the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.'
Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others spring.
20 Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.
Behold, God will not cast away an innocent man, neither will He uphold the evil-doers;
21 While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,
Till He fill thy mouth with laughter, and thy lips with shouting.
22 Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!
They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the tent of the wicked shall be no more.
