Job 8

1 The Baldad the Suhite answered, and said:

Then Baldad the Sauchite answered, and said,

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

How long will you speak these things, [how long shall] the breath of your mouth [be] abundant in words?

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

Will the Lord be unjust when he judges; or will he that has made all things pervert justice?

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

If your sons have sinned before him, he has cast them away because of their transgression.

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

But be you early in prayer to the Lord Almighty.

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

If you are pure and true, he will listen to your supplication, and will restore to you the habitation of righteousness.

7 Insomuch, that if thy former things were small, thy latter things would be multiplied exceedingly.

Though then your beginning should be small, yet your end should be unspeakably great.

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

For ask of the former generation, and search diligently amongst the race of [our] fathers:

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

(for we are of yesterday, and know nothing; for our life upon the earth is a shadow: )

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

shall not these teach you, and report [to you], and bring out words from [their] heart?

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

Does the rush flourish without water, or shall the flag grow up without moisture?

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

When it is yet on the root, and [though] it has not been cut down, does not any herb wither before it has received moisture?

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

Thus then shall be the end of all that forget the Lord: for the hope of the ungodly shall perish.

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

For his house shall be without inhabitants, and his tent shall prove a spider's web.

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

If he should prop up his house, it shall not stand: and when he has taken hold of it, it shall not remain.

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

For it is moist under the sun, and his branch shall come forth out of his dung-heap.

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

He lies down upon a gathering of stones, and shall live in the mist of flints.

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

If [God] should destroy [him], his place shall deny him. Hast you not seen such things,

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

that such is the overthrow of the ungodly? and out of the earth another shall grow.

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

For the Lord will by no means reject the harmless man; but he will not receive any gift of the ungodly.

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

But he will fill with laughter the mouth of the sincere, and their lips with thanksgiving.

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

But their adversaries shall clothe themselves with shame; and the habitation of the ungodly shall perish.