Job 8

1 Then responded Bildad the Shuhite, and said: —

And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: —

2 How long wilt thou speak these things? Or, as a mighty wind, shall be the sayings of thy mouth?

Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind — sayings of thy mouth?

3 Should, GOD, pervert justice? Or, the Almighty, pervert righteousness?

Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?

4 Though, thy children, sinned against him, and he delivered them into the hand of their transgression,

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

5 Yet, if, thou thyself, wilt diligently seek unto GOD, —and, unto the Almighty, wilt make supplication;

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

6 If, pure and upright, thou thyself, art, surely, now, will he answer thy prayer, and will prosper thy righteous habitation:

If pure and upright thou [art], Surely now He waketh for thee, And hath completed The habitation of thy righteousness.

7 So shall thy beginning appear small, —when, thy latter end, he shall greatly increase!

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

8 For inquire, I pray thee, of a former generation, and prepare thyself for the research of their fathers; —

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

9 For, of yesterday, are, we, and cannot know, for, a shadow, are our days upon earth:

(For of yesterday we [are], and we know not, For a shadow [are] our days on earth.)

10 Shall, they, not teach thee—tell thee, and, out of their memory, bring forth words?

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

11 Can the paper-reed grow up, without a marsh? Or the rush grow up, without water?

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

12 Though while still, in its freshness, it be not plucked off, yet, before any kind of grass, it doth wither:

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

13 So, shall be the latter end of all who forget GOD, and, the hope of the impious, shall perish:

So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,

14 Whose trust shall be contemptible, —and, a spider’s web, his confidence:

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

15 He leaneth upon his house, and it will not stand, he holdeth it fast, and it will not remain erect.

He leaneth on his house — and it standeth not: He taketh hold on it — and it abideth not.

16 Full of moisture he is, before the sun, and, over his garden, his shoot goeth forth:

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

17 Over a heap, his roots are entwined, a place of stones, he descrieth;

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

18 If one destroy him out of his place, then will it disown him [saying] —I have not seen thee.

If [one] doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee!

19 Lo! that, is the joy of his way, —and, out of the dust, shall others spring up.

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

20 Lo! GOD, will not reject a blameless man, neither will he grasp the hand of evil-doers:

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

21 At length he shall fill with laughter thy mouth, and thy lips, with a shout of triumph:

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

22 They who hate thee, shall be clothed with shame, but, the tent of the lawless, shall not be!

Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!