Job 8

¹Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

²How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

³Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?

⁴If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;

⁵If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, 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.

⁷Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

⁸For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:

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 his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.

¹³So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:

¹⁴Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web.

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

¹⁶He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.

¹⁷His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.

¹⁸If he destroy him 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 grow.

²⁰Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:

²¹Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.

²²They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

¹Then Baldad, the Suhite, answered, and said:

²How long wilt thou speak these things, and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

³Doth God pervert judgment, or doth the Almighty overthrow that which is just?

⁴Although thy children have sinned against him, and he hath left them in the hand of their iniquity:

⁵Yet if thou wilt arise early to God, and wilt beseech the Almighty:

⁶If thou wilt walk clean and upright, he will presently awake unto thee, and will make the dwelling of thy justice peaceable:

⁷In so much, that if thy former things were small thy latter things would be multiplied exceedingly.

⁸For inquire of the former generation, and search diligently into the memory of the fathers:

⁹(For we are but of yesterday, and are ignorant that our days upon earth are but a shadow)

¹⁰And they shall teach thee: they shall speak to thee, and utter words out of their hearts.

¹¹Can the rush be green without moisture? or sedge bush grow without water?

¹²When it is yet in flower, and is not plucked up with the hand, it withereth before all herbs.

¹³Even so are the ways of all that forget God, and the hope of the hypocrite shall perish:

¹⁴His folly shall not please him, and his trust shall be like the spider's web.

¹⁵He shall lean upon his house, and it shall not stand: he shall prop it up, and it shall not rise:

¹⁶He seemeth to have moisture before the sun cometh; and at his rising, his blossom shall shoot forth.

¹⁷His roots shall be thick upon a heap of stones; and among the stones he shall abide.

¹⁸If one swallow him up out of his place, he shall deny him, and shall say: I know thee not.

¹⁹For this is the joy of his way, that others may spring again out of the earth.

²⁰God will not cast away the simple, nor reach out his hand to the evil doer:

²¹Until thy mouth be filled with laughter, and thy lips with rejoicing.

²²They that hate thee, shall be clothed with confusion: and the dwelling of the wicked shall not stand.