Job 8

¹Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

²How long wilt thou speak these things? Andhow longshall the words of thy mouth be like a mighty wind?

³Doth God pervert justice? Or doth the Almighty pervert righteousness?

⁴If thy children have sinned against him, And he hath delivered them into the hand of their transgression;

⁵If thou wouldest seek diligently unto God, And make thy supplication to the Almighty;

⁶If thou wert pure and upright: Surely now he would awake for thee, And make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

⁷And though thy beginning was small, Yet thy latter end would greatly increase.

⁸For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, And apply thyself to that which their fathers have searched out

⁹(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, Because our days upon earth are a shadow);

¹⁰Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, And utter words out of their heart?

¹¹Can the rush grow up without mire? Can the flag grow without water?

¹²Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down, It withereth before any other herb.

¹³So are the paths of all that forget God; And the hope of the godless man shall perish:

¹⁴Whose confidence shall break in sunder, And whose trust is a spider’s web.

¹⁵He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: He shall hold fast thereby, but it shall not endure.

¹⁶He is green before the sun, And his shoots go forth over his garden.

¹⁷His roots are wrapped about the stone-heap, He beholdeth the place of stones.

¹⁸If he be destroyed from his place, Then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.

¹⁹Behold, this is the joy of his way; And out of the earth shall others spring.

²⁰Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, Neither will he uphold the evil-doers.

²¹He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, And thy lips with shouting.

²²They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; And the tent of the wicked shall be no more.

¹Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

²“How long will you go on saying such things? The words of your mouth are a blustering wind.

³Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?

⁴When your children sinned against Him, He gave them over to their rebellion.

⁵But if you would earnestly seek God and ask the Almighty for mercy,

⁶if you are pure and upright, even now He will rouse Himself on your behalf and restore your righteous estate.

⁷Though your beginnings were modest, your latter days will flourish.

⁸Please inquire of past generations and consider the discoveries of their fathers.

⁹For we were born yesterday and know nothing; our days on earth are but a shadow.

¹⁰Will they not teach you and tell you, and speak from their understanding?

¹¹Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water?

¹²While the shoots are still uncut, they dry up quicker than grass.

¹³Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so the hope of the godless will perish.

¹⁴His confidence is fragile; his security is in a spider’s web.

¹⁵He leans on his web, but it gives way; he holds fast, but it does not endure.

¹⁶He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine, spreading its shoots over the garden.

¹⁷His roots wrap around the rock heap; he looks for a home among the stones.

¹⁸If he is uprooted from his place, it will disown him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’

¹⁹Surely this is the joy of his way; yet others will spring from the dust.

²⁰Behold, God does not reject the blameless, nor will He strengthen the hand of evildoers.

²¹He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with a shout of joy.

²²Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”