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 will you speak these things? and how long shall the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?
3 Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?
Does God pervert judgment? or does 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 your children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;
5 If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,
If you would seek to God betimes, and make your 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 you were pure and upright; surely now he would awake for you, and make the habitation of your righteousness prosperous.
7 And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.
Though your beginning was small, yet your latter 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 you, of the former age, and prepare yourself to the search of their fathers:
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 on earth are a shadow: )
10 Do they not shew thee — speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?
Shall not they teach you, and tell you, and utter words out of their heart?
11 'Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?
Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?
12 While it [is] in its budding — uncropped, Even before any herb it withereth.
Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it wither 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 hypocrite’s hope shall perish:
14 Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.
Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be 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 on his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, 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 branch shoots forth in his garden.
17 By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.
His roots are wrapped about the heap, and sees 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 destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen you.
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 grow.
20 Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.
Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:
21 While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,
Till he fill your mouth with laughing, and your lips with rejoicing.
22 Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!
They that hate you shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nothing.
