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 such things? How long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?
3 Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?
Will God pervert judgment? Or will the Almighty pervert justice?
4 If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,
As thy children sinned against him, He hath given them up to their transgression.
5 If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,
But if thou wilt seek early to 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 wilt be pure and upright, Surely he will yet arise for thee, And prosper thy righteous habitation;
7 And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.
So that thy beginning shall be small, And thy latter end very great.
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 age, And mark what hath been searched out by their fathers;
9 (For of yesterday we [are], and we know not, For a shadow [are] our days on earth.)
(For we are of yesterday and know nothing, Since our days upon the earth are but a shadow; )
10 Do they not shew thee — speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?
Will not they instruct thee, and tell thee, And utter words from their understanding?
11 'Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?
“Can the paper-reed grow up without mire? Can the bulrush grow without water?
12 While it [is] in its budding — uncropped, Even before any herb it withereth.
While it is yet in its greenness, and is 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,
Such is the fate of all who forget God; So perisheth the hope of the ungodly.
14 Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.
His confidence shall come to nought, And his trust shall prove 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, and it shall not stand; He shall lay fast hold on it, but it shall not endure.
16 Green he [is] before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.
He is in full green before the sun, And his branches shoot forth over his garden;
17 By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.
His roots are entwined about the heap, And he seeth the place of stones;
18 If [one] doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee!
When he shall be destroyed from his place, It shall deny him, saying, 'I never saw thee.'
19 Lo, this [is] the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.'
Lo! such is the joy of his course! And others shall spring up from his place”
20 Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.
Behold, God will not cast away an upright man; Nor will he help the evil-doers.
21 While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,
While he filleth thy mouth with laughter, And thy lips with gladness,
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 dwelling-place of the wicked shall come to nought.
