Job 8
1 Then Bildad, from [the] Shuah [area], spoke to Job. He said,
| ויען בלדד השוחי ויאמר׃ |
2 “Job, how much longer will you talk like this? What you say is [only] hot air.
| עד אן תמלל אלה ורוח כביר אמרי פיך׃ |
3 Almighty God certainly never does [RHQ] what is unfair/unjust. He always does [LIT] what is right/fair.
| האל יעות משפט ואם שדי יעות צדק׃ |
4 So, it is evident that your children have sinned against him, therefore he has caused them to be punished for evil things that they have done.
| אם בניך חטאו לו וישלחם ביד פשעם׃ |
5 But, if you will [now] earnestly request [DOU] Almighty [God] to help you,
| אם אתה תשחר אל אל ואל שדי תתחנן׃ |
6 and if you are pure and honest/righteous, he will surely do something good for you and reward you by giving your family back to you and enabling you to prosper.
| אם זך וישר אתה כי עתה יעיר עליך ושלם נות צדקך׃ |
7 And even though you [think that you] were not very prosperous/wealthy before, during the last part of your life you will become very wealthy.
| והיה ראשיתך מצער ואחריתך ישגה מאד׃ |
8 “I request you to think about what happened long ago and consider what our ancestors found out.
| כי שאל נא לדר רישון וכונן לחקר אבותם׃ |
9 [It seems as though] we were born only yesterday and we know very little [HYP]; our time here on the earth [disappears quickly, like] a shadow [MET].
| כי תמול אנחנו ולא נדע כי צל ימינו עלי ארץ׃ |
10 So, why do you not allow your ancestors to teach you and tell you something? Allow them to tell you from what they learned!
| הלא הם יורוך יאמרו לך ומלבם יוצאו מלים׃ |
11 Papyrus can certainly not [RHQ] grow in places where there is no marsh/swamp; reeds certainly cannot [RHQ] flourish/grow where there is no water.
| היגאה גמא בלא בצה ישגה אחו בלי מים׃ |
12 [If they do not have enough water], while they are still blossoming, they wither more quickly than other plants wither.
| עדנו באבו לא יקטף ולפני כל חציר ייבש׃ |
13 Those who do not pay attention to what God says are like those [reeds]; godless people stop confidently expecting [that good things will happen to them].
| כן ארחות כל שכחי אל ותקות חנף תאבד׃ |
14 The things they confidently expect to happen do not happen; things they trust [will help them] are [as fragile as] [MET] a spider’s web.
| אשר יקוט כסלו ובית עכביש מבטחו׃ |
15 If they lean against a house (OR, trust in their wealth; OR, lean on a spider web), it does not (endure/protect them) [LIT]; they cling to things [to be protected], but those things do not remain firm.
| ישען על ביתו ולא יעמד יחזיק בו ולא יקום׃ |
16 Godless people [are like plants] [MET] that are watered before the sun rises; their shoots spread all over the gardens.
| רטב הוא לפני שמש ועל גנתו ינקתו תצא׃ |
17 The roots of those plants twist around piles of stones and cling tightly to rocks.
| על גל שרשיו יסבכו בית אבנים יחזה׃ |
18 But if those plants are pulled out, [it is as though] the place where they were planted says ‘They were never here!’ [And that is what happens to wicked people who do not heed what God says].
| אם יבלענו ממקומו וכחש בו לא ראיתיך׃ |
19 Truly, evil people [MET] are not joyful [IRO] for a long time; other people come and take their places.
| הן הוא משוש דרכו ומעפר אחר יצמחו׃ |
20 :So, [I tell you, Job], God will not reject you if you are truly godly/righteous, but he does not help [IDM] evil people.
| הן אל לא ימאס תם ולא יחזיק ביד מרעים׃ |
21 He will enable you [MTY] to continually laugh and to always shout [joyfully].
| עד ימלה שחוק פיך ושפתיך תרועה׃ |
22 But those who hate you will be very ashamed, and the homes of wicked people will disappear.”
| שנאיך ילבשו בשת ואהל רשעים איננו׃ |
