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Bildad Speaks: How Can a Mortal Be Righteous before God?

25 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:

“Dominion and fear are with God;[a]
    he makes peace in his high heaven.(A)
Is there any number to his armies?
    Upon whom does his light not arise?(B)
How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
    How can one born of woman be pure?(C)
If even the moon is not bright
    and the stars are not pure in his sight,(D)
how much less a mortal, who is a maggot,
    and a human being, who is a worm!”(E)

Footnotes

  1. 25.2 Heb him

Inferior humans

25 Bildad from Shuah replied:

Supreme power and awe belong to God;
    he establishes peace on his heights.
Can his troops be counted?
    On whom does his light not rise?
How can a person be innocent before God;
    one born of a woman be pure?
If even the moon is not bright
        and the stars not pure in his eyes,
    how much less a human, a worm,
        a person’s child, a grub.

Bildad

25 Then Bildad the Shuhite(A) replied:

“Dominion and awe belong to God;(B)
    he establishes order in the heights of heaven.(C)
Can his forces be numbered?
    On whom does his light not rise?(D)
How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
    How can one born of woman be pure?(E)
If even the moon(F) is not bright
    and the stars are not pure in his eyes,(G)
how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
    a human being,(H) who is only a worm!”(I)

25 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places.

Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?

How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?

Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.

How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?