Job 8
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
Bildad Speaks: Job Should Repent
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 ‘How long will you say these things,
and the words of your mouth be a great wind?
3 Does God pervert justice?
Or does the Almighty[a] pervert the right?
4 If your children sinned against him,
he delivered them into the power of their transgression.
5 If you will seek God
and make supplication to the Almighty,[b]
6 if you are pure and upright,
surely then he will rouse himself for you
and restore to you your rightful place.
7 Though your beginning was small,
your latter days will be very great.
8 ‘For inquire now of bygone generations,
and consider what their ancestors have found;
9 for we are but of yesterday, and we know nothing,
for our days on earth are but 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 wither before any other plant.
13 Such are the paths of all who forget God;
the hope of the godless shall perish.
14 Their confidence is gossamer,
a spider’s house their trust.
15 If one leans against its house, it will not stand;
if one lays hold of it, it will not endure.
16 The wicked thrive[c] before the sun,
and their shoots spread over the garden.
17 Their roots twine around the stoneheap;
they live among the rocks.[d]
18 If they are destroyed from their place,
then it will deny them, saying, “I have never seen you.”
19 See, these are their happy ways,[e]
and out of the earth still others will spring.
20 ‘See, God will not reject a blameless person,
nor take the hand of evildoers.
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,
and your lips with shouts of joy.
22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
and the tent of the wicked will be no more.’
Job 8
New Catholic Bible
Bildad’s First Speech[a]
Chapter 8
Does God Pervert Justice?[b] 1 Then Bildad the Shuhite spoke up and said:
2 “How long will you say such things?
The words of your mouth are like a turbulent wind.
3 Does God pervert justice?
Does the Almighty distort the truth?
4 If your children sinned against him,
he has delivered them into the power of their transgressions.
5 “If you yourself will now seek God
as one who is pure and upright
and make supplication to the Almighty,
6 then he will rouse himself on your behalf
and restore the prosperity of your house.
7 Your former state will seem inconsequential
in the light of your future prosperity.
Inquire Now of Former Generations
8 “Inquire now of former generations
and reflect on what their ancestors came to realize.
9 For we are only born yesterday and know nothing,
since our days on earth are but a shadow.[c]
10 Will they not instruct you and tell you,
and utter words out of their understanding?
11 “Can a papyrus flourish where there is no marsh?
Can reeds grow without water?
12 While yet green and not cut down,
they wither more quickly than any plant.
13 Such is the fate of all those who forget God;
thus the hope of the godless man will perish.
14 His confidence is only a thread,
his trust a spider’s web.
15 If he leans against his house, it will begin to totter;
if he clings to it, it will not endure.
16 “At dawn he seems quite strong and virile,
like a plant whose young roots spread out over the garden.
17 His roots are entwined around a pile of stones;
he draws his strength from among the rocks.
18 But if someone uproots him from his place,
it will disown him, saying, ‘I have never seen you.’
19 There he lies, rotting along the roadside,[d]
and others will sprout forth from the soil.
20 “Be assured, God will not reject a blameless person,
nor will he grasp the hand of the wrongdoer.
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with joyful cries.
22 Those who hate you will be covered with shame,
and the tent of the wicked will cease to exist.”
Footnotes
- Job 8:1 In defense of the views commonly accepted by wise men, Eliphaz had appealed to a personal revelation. Bildad will rely mainly on the tradition of the ancients.
- Job 8:1 God is just. Bildad recalls this truth and draws from it an unexpected explanation of his friend’s misfortunes: could they be a punishment for the evil conduct of his children?
- Job 8:9 Our days . . . are but a shadow: this is a frequent theme in the Wisdom Books (see Job 14:2; 1 Chr 29:15; Pss 102:12; 144:4; Eccl 6:12; 8:13).
- Job 8:19 There he lies, rotting along the roadside: the meaning of the Hebrew is unclear. The Vulgate reading is: “This is the joy of his way.”
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
