Job 8

Bildad Says God Rewards the Good

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite ^{▼▼ Lit answered and said}answered, 2 “How long will you say these things,
And the ^bwords of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3 “Does ^cGod pervert justice?
Or does ^{▼▼ Heb Shaddai}the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 ^e“If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He delivered them into the ^{▼▼ Lit hand}power of their transgression.
5 “If you would ^gseek God
And implore the compassion of ^{▼▼ Heb Shaddai}the Almighty,
6 If you are pure and upright,
Surely now ⁱHe would rouse Himself for you
And restore your righteous ^{▼▼ Lit place
,} ^kestate.
7 “Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your ^lend will increase greatly.

8 “Please ^minquire of past generations,
And consider the things searched out by their fathers.
9 “For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because ⁿour days on earth are as a shadow.
10 “Will they not teach you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their minds?

11 “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the rushes grow without water?
12 “While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other ^{▼▼ Lit reed}plant.
13 “So are the paths of ^pall who forget God;
And the ^qhope of the godless will perish,
14 Whose confidence is fragile,
And whose trust a ^rspider’s ^{▼▼ Lit house}web.
15 “He ^{▼▼ Lit leans on}trusts in his ^uhouse, but it does not stand;
He holds fast to it, but it does not endure.
16 “He ^{▼▼ Lit is lush
,} ^wthrives before the sun,
And his ^xshoots spread out over his garden.
17 “His roots wrap around a rock pile,
He ^{▼▼ Heb sees}grasps a house of stones.
18 “If he is ^{▼▼ Lit swallowed up}removed from ^aahis place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘ ^abI never saw you.’
19 “Behold, ^acthis is the joy of His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.
20 “Lo, ^adGod will not reject a man of integrity,
Nor ^aewill He ^{▼▼ Lit strengthen the hand of}support the evildoers.
21 “He will yet fill ^agyour mouth with laughter
And your lips with shouting.
22 “Those who hate you will be ^ahclothed with shame,
And the ^aitent of the wicked will be no longer.”