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 these [things]? and [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?

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

4 If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,

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

5 If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,

If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, 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 [wert] pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

7 And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.

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

8 For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,

For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search 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 upon earth [are] a shadow: )

10 Do they not shew thee — speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?

Shall not they teach thee, [and] tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?

11 'Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?

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

12 While it [is] in its budding — uncropped, Even before any herb it withereth.

Whilst it [is] yet in his greenness, [and] 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,

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

14 Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.

Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust [shall be] 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, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.

16 Green he [is] before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.

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

17 By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.

His roots are wrapped about the heap, [and] 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!

If he destroy him from his place, then [it] shall deny him, [saying], I have not seen thee.

19 Lo, this [is] the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.'

Behold, this [is] the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.

20 Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.

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

21 While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,

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

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.