Job 8
English Standard Version
Bildad Speaks: Job Should Repent
8 Then (A)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “How long will you say these things,
and the words of your mouth be a (B)great wind?
3 (C)Does God pervert justice?
Or does the Almighty pervert the right?
4 If your (D)children have sinned against him,
he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.
5 If you will seek God
and (E)plead with the Almighty for mercy,
6 if you are pure and upright,
surely then he will (F)rouse himself for you
and (G)restore your rightful habitation.
7 And though your beginning was small,
(H)your latter days will be very great.
8 “For (I)inquire, please, of bygone ages,
and consider what (J)the fathers have searched out.
9 For we are but of yesterday and know nothing,
for our days on earth are (K)a shadow.
10 Will they not teach you and tell you
and utter words out of their understanding?
11 “Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh?
Can reeds flourish where there is no water?
12 While yet in flower and not cut down,
they (L)wither before any other plant.
13 Such are the paths of all who (M)forget God;
(N)the hope of (O)the godless shall perish.
14 His confidence is severed,
and his trust is (P)a spider's web.[a]
15 He leans against his (Q)house, but it does not stand;
he lays hold of it, but it does not endure.
16 He is a lush plant before the sun,
and his (R)shoots spread over his garden.
17 His roots entwine the stone heap;
he looks upon a house of stones.
18 If he is destroyed from his (S)place,
then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have never (T)seen you.’
19 Behold, this is the joy of his way,
and out of (U)the soil others will spring.
20 “Behold, God will not reject a blameless man,
nor take the hand of evildoers.
21 He will yet (V)fill your mouth with laughter,
and your lips with shouting.
22 Those who hate you will be (W)clothed with shame,
and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”
Footnotes
- Job 8:14 Hebrew house
Job 8
New Living Translation
Bildad’s First Response to Job
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied to Job:
2 “How long will you go on like this?
You sound like a blustering wind.
3 Does God twist justice?
Does the Almighty twist what is right?
4 Your children must have sinned against him,
so their punishment was well deserved.
5 But if you pray to God
and seek the favor of the Almighty,
6 and if you are pure and live with integrity,
he will surely rise up and restore your happy home.
7 And though you started with little,
you will end with much.
8 “Just ask the previous generation.
Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors.
9 For we were born but yesterday and know nothing.
Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow.
10 But those who came before us will teach you.
They will teach you the wisdom of old.
11 “Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh?
Can marsh grass flourish without water?
12 While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut,
they begin to wither more quickly than grass.
13 The same happens to all who forget God.
The hopes of the godless evaporate.
14 Their confidence hangs by a thread.
They are leaning on a spider’s web.
15 They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last.
They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure.
16 The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine,
its branches spreading across the garden.
17 Its roots grow down through a pile of stones;
it takes hold on a bed of rocks.
18 But when it is uprooted,
it’s as though it never existed!
19 That’s the end of its life,
and others spring up from the earth to replace it.
20 “But look, God will not reject a person of integrity,
nor will he lend a hand to the wicked.
21 He will once again fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with shouts of joy.
22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
and the home of the wicked will be destroyed.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
