Job 8
1 And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: —
Then answered Bildad the Shuchite, 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? and [let] like a mighty wind be the words of thy mouth?
3 Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?
Should God pervert justice? or should the Almighty pervert righteousness?
4 If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,
If thy children have sinned against him, then did he send them off through the means of their transgression.
5 If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,
If thou wilt earnestly seek for 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 become pure and upright: surely then will he watch over thee, and restore thy righteous habitation.
7 And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.
And thy beginning will have been small; because thy latter end will grow up greatly.
8 For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,
For ask, I pray thee, of an earlier generation, and prepare thyself to [stand by] the research 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 a [mere] shadow are our days upon earth; —
10 Do they not shew thee — speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?
Behold, these will truly teach thee, they will speak unto thee, and out of their very heart will they bring forth words:
11 'Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?
Can the bulrush shoot upward without mire? can the meadow-grass grow up without water?
12 While it [is] in its budding — uncropped, Even before any herb it withereth.
It is yet in its greenness, not yet cut down, when it withereth before any other grass.
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 hypocrite will perish:
14 Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.
[It is he] whose trust will be cut off, and but a spider's web is that in which he confideth.
15 He leaneth on his house — and it standeth not: He taketh hold on it — and it abideth not.
He leaneth against his house, but it shall not stand: he layeth fast hold on it, but it shall not remain erect.
16 Green he [is] before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.
He is in full vigor before the sun, and over his garden his shoots go forth.
17 By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.
His roots are twisted about a stoneheap, he selecteth [for himself] a place of stones.
18 If [one] doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee!
But when men destroy him from his place, then will it deny him, saying, I have never 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 [same] dust others will grow up.
20 Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.
Behold, God will not reject a perfect man, and will not hold fast by their hand the evil-doers:
21 While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,
Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with joyful 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.
