Job 8
New King James Version
Bildad: Job Should Repent
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “How long will you speak these things,
And the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?
3 (A)Does God subvert judgment?
Or does the Almighty pervert justice?
4 If (B)your sons have sinned against Him,
He has cast them away [a]for their transgression.
5 (C)If you would earnestly seek God
And make your supplication to the Almighty,
6 If you were pure and upright,
Surely now He would [b]awake for you,
And prosper your rightful dwelling place.
7 Though your beginning was small,
Yet your latter end would (D)increase abundantly.
8 “For(E) inquire, please, of the former age,
And consider the things discovered by their fathers;
9 For (F)we were born yesterday, and know [c]nothing,
Because our days on earth are a shadow.
10 Will they not teach you and tell you,
And utter words from their heart?
11 “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the reeds flourish without water?
12 (G)While it is yet green and not cut down,
It withers before any other plant.
13 So are the paths of all who (H)forget God;
And the hope of the (I)hypocrite shall perish,
14 Whose confidence shall be cut off,
And whose trust is [d]a spider’s web.
15 (J)He leans on his house, but it does not stand.
He holds it fast, but it does not endure.
16 He grows green in the sun,
And his branches spread out in his garden.
17 His roots wrap around the rock heap,
And look for a place in the stones.
18 (K)If he is destroyed from his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have not seen you.’
19 “Behold, this is the joy of His way,
And (L)out of the earth others will grow.
20 Behold, (M)God will not [e]cast away the blameless,
Nor will He uphold the evildoers.
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughing,
And your lips with [f]rejoicing.
22 Those who hate you will be (N)clothed with shame,
And the dwelling place of the wicked [g]will come to nothing.”
Job 8
International Standard Version
Bildad: God Rewards the Godly
8 Then in response, Bildad from Shuah said:
2 “How long will you keep talking like this?
How long will you keep talking like a wind storm?
3 Does God pervert justice?
Does the Almighty pervert what’s right?
4 “If your children sin against him,
he’ll make them a prisoner[a] of their sins.
5 If you seek God,
if you ask the Almighty for mercy,
6 if you are clean and upright,
surely then, he’ll act on your behalf
and restore your rightful[b] place.
7 Your beginning may be small,
but later years[c] will be very great.
8 “Inquire of the previous generation, won’t you please?
Consider what their forefathers searched out.
9 Because we are of yesterday and we know nothing,
for our time on earth is only a shadow.
10 Won’t they instruct you, and tell you,
and bring out words from the heart?
11 “Can papyrus grow where there’s no marsh?
Can reeds flourish without water?
12 While they are still green
and not yet ready to be harvested,
they wither before any plant.
13 Such are the paths of everyone who forgets God—
the hope of the godless will be destroyed:
14 his confidence is shattered;
his trust is in a spider’s web.
15 He leans against his house,
but it won’t stand;
he grabs hold of it firmly,
but it doesn’t last.
16 He is a fresh sapling planted in the sunlight,
spreading out its branches over its garden.
17 Its roots weave around a pile of stones,
seeking to entrench itself among the rocks.
18 If he is uprooted[d] from his place,
then it will deny him:
‘I never saw you.’
19 “Indeed, this is the benefit of God’s[e] way:
from the soil other plants[f] will sprout.
20 Surely God won’t reject those who are blameless
or hold hands with those who practice evil.
21 He will soon fill your mouth with laughter,
and your lips will shout with joy.
22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
and the tent of the wicked will no longer exist.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
