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Bildad Claims God Rewards the Good

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

“How long will you say these things,
And the (A)words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
Does (B)God pervert justice?
Or does [a]the Almighty pervert what is right?
(C)If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He sent them into the [b]power of their transgression.
If you would (D)seek God earnestly
And plead for the grace of [c]the Almighty,
If you are pure and upright,
Indeed now (E)He would rouse Himself for you
And make your righteous (F)abode at peace.
Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your (G)end will increase greatly.

“Please (H)ask of past generations,
And establish the things searched out by their fathers.
For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because (I)our days on earth are but a shadow.
10 Will they not instruct you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their hearts?

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 dries up before any other [d]plant.
13 So are the paths of (J)all who forget God;
And the (K)hope of the godless will perish,
14 Whose confidence is fragile,
And whose trust a (L)spider’s [e]web.
15 He relies on his (M)house, but it does not stand;
He holds fast to it, but it is not established.
16 He [f](N)thrives before the sun,
And his (O)shoots go forth over his garden.
17 His roots wrap around a rock pile;
He looks upon a house of stones.
18 If He swallows him up from (P)his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘(Q)I never saw you.’
19 Behold, (R)this is the joy of [g]His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.
20 Behold, (S)God will not reject a blameless man,
Nor (T)will He strengthen the hand of the evildoers.
21 He will yet fill (U)your mouth with laughter
And your lips with shouting.
22 Those who hate you will be (V)clothed with shame,
And the (W)tent of the wicked will be no longer.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 8:3 Heb Shaddai
  2. Job 8:4 Lit hand
  3. Job 8:5 Heb Shaddai
  4. Job 8:12 Lit reed
  5. Job 8:14 Lit house
  6. Job 8:16 Lit is lush
  7. Job 8:19 Or his

Bildad Speaks

Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

How long will you go on saying these things?
Your words(A) are a blast of wind.(B)
Does God pervert justice?(C)
Does the Almighty pervert what is right?(D)
Since your children sinned against him,
he gave them over to their rebellion.
But if you earnestly seek(E) God
and ask the Almighty for mercy,(F)
if you are pure and upright,
then he will move even now on your behalf
and restore the home where your righteousness dwells.(G)
Then, even if your beginnings were modest,
your final days will be full of prosperity.(H)

For ask the previous generation,
and pay attention to what their ancestors discovered,(I)
since we were born only yesterday and know nothing.
Our days on earth are but a shadow.(J)
10 Will they not teach you and tell you
and speak from their understanding?
11 Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh?
Do reeds flourish without water?
12 While still uncut shoots,
they would dry up quicker than any other plant.
13 Such is the destiny[a] of all who forget God;
the hope of the godless(K) will perish.

14 His source of confidence is fragile;[b]
what he trusts in is a spider’s web.(L)
15 He leans on his web, but it doesn’t stand firm.
He grabs it, but it does not hold up.
16 He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine;
his shoots spread out over his garden.
17 His roots are intertwined around a pile of rocks.
He looks for a home among the stones.
18 If he is uprooted[c] from his place,
it will deny knowing him, saying, “I never saw you.”(M)
19 Surely this is the joy of his way of life;
yet others will sprout from the dust.
20 Look, God does not reject a person of integrity,
and he will not support[d] evildoers.(N)

21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with a shout of joy.(O)
22 Your enemies will be clothed with shame;(P)
the tent(Q) of the wicked will no longer exist.

Footnotes

  1. 8:13 Lit Such are the ways
  2. 8:14 Or cut off; Hb obscure
  3. 8:18 Or destroyed
  4. 8:20 Lit grasp the hand of