< Job 8 >

1 Respondens autem Baldad Suhites, dixit:
Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said:
2 Usquequo loqueris talia, et spiritus multiplex sermones oris tui?
How long wilt thou speak such things? How long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?
3 Numquid Deus supplantat iudicium? aut Omnipotens subvertit quod iustum est?
Will God pervert judgment? Or will the Almighty pervert justice?
4 Etiam si filii tui peccaverunt ei, et dimisit eos in manu iniquitatis suæ:
As thy children sinned against him, He hath given them up to their transgression.
5 Tu tamen si diluculo consurrexeris ad Deum, et Omnipotentem fueris deprecatus:
But if thou wilt seek early to God, And make thy supplication to the Almighty, —
6 Si mundus et rectus incesseris, statim evigilabit ad te, et pacatum reddet habitaculum iustitiæ tuæ:
If thou wilt be pure and upright, Surely he will yet arise for thee, And prosper thy righteous habitation;
7 In tantum, ut si priora tua fuerint parva, et novissima tua multiplicentur nimis.
So that thy beginning shall be small, And thy latter end very great.
8 Interroga enim generationem pristinam, et diligenter investiga patrum memoriam:
For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, And mark what hath been searched out by their fathers;
9 (Hesterni quippe sumus, et ignoramus quoniam sicut umbra dies nostri sunt super terram.)
(For we are of yesterday and know nothing, Since our days upon the earth are but a shadow; )
10 Et ipsi docebunt te: loquentur tibi, et de corde suo proferent eloquia.
Will not they instruct thee, and tell thee, And utter words from their understanding?
11 Numquid vivere potest scirpus absque humore? aut crescere carectum sine aqua?
“Can the paper-reed grow up without mire? Can the bulrush grow without water?
12 Cum adhuc sit in flore, nec carpatur manu, ante omnes herbas arescit:
While it is yet in its greenness, and is not cut down, It withereth before any other herb.
13 Sic viæ omnium, qui obliviscuntur Deum, et spes hypocritæ peribit:
Such is the fate of all who forget God; So perisheth the hope of the ungodly.
14 Non ei placebit vecordia sua, et sicut tela aranearum fiducia eius.
His confidence shall come to nought, And his trust shall prove a spider's web.
15 Innitetur super domum suam, et non stabit: fulciet eam, et non consurget:
He shall lean upon his house, and it shall not stand; He shall lay fast hold on it, but it shall not endure.
16 Humectus videtur antequam veniat Sol, et in ortu suo germen eius egredietur.
He is in full green before the sun, And his branches shoot forth over his garden;
17 Super acervum petrarum radices eius densabuntur, et inter lapides commorabitur.
His roots are entwined about the heap, And he seeth the place of stones;
18 Si absorbuerit eum de loco suo, negabit eum, et dicet: Non novi te.
When he shall be destroyed from his place, It shall deny him, saying, 'I never saw thee.'
19 Hæc est enim lætitia viæ eius, ut rursum de terra alii germinentur.
Lo! such is the joy of his course! And others shall spring up from his place”
20 Deus non proiiciet simplicem, nec porriget manum malignis:
Behold, God will not cast away an upright man; Nor will he help the evil-doers.
21 Donec impleatur risu os tuum, et labia tua iubilo.
While he filleth thy mouth with laughter, And thy lips with gladness,
22 Qui oderunt te, induentur confusione: et tabernaculum impiorum non subsistet.
They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame, And the dwelling-place of the wicked shall come to nought.

< Job 8 >