Job 8
1 And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: —
Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,
2 Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind — sayings of thy mouth?
“How long will you speak these things? Shall the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3 Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?
Does God pervert justice? Or does 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 your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their disobedience.
5 If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,
If you want to seek God diligently, 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 awaken 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 would greatly increase.
8 For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,
“Please enquire of past generations. Find out about the learning 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 they not teach you, tell you, and utter words out of their heart?
11 'Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?
“Can the papyrus grow up without mire? Can the rushes grow without water?
12 While it [is] in its budding — uncropped, Even before any herb it withereth.
While it is yet in its greenness, not cut down, it withers before any other reed.
13 So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,
So are the paths of all who forget God. The hope of the godless man will perish,
14 Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.
whose confidence will break apart, 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 will lean on his house, but it will not stand. He will cling to it, but it will not endure.
16 Green he [is] before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.
He is green before the sun. His shoots go out along his garden.
17 By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.
His roots are wrapped around the rock pile. He 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 is destroyed from his place, then it will 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. Out of the earth, others will spring.
20 Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.
“Behold, God will not cast away a blameless man, neither will he uphold the evildoers.
21 While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,
He will still fill your mouth with laughter, your lips with shouting.
22 Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!
Those who hate you will be clothed with shame. The tent of the wicked will be no more.”
