1 ¶ Then Bildad, the Shuhite, answered and said,

And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: --

2 H ow long wilt thou speak such things and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind -- sayings of thy mouth?

3 S hall God pervert that which is right or shall the Almighty pervert justice?

Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?

4 B ecause thy sons sinned against him, he cast them away in the place of their rebellion;

If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,

5 i f thou would seek God early and make thy supplication to the Almighty,

If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,

6 i f thou wert pure and upright, surely now he would awake upon thee and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

If pure and upright thou, Surely now He waketh for thee, And hath completed The habitation of thy righteousness.

7 I n such a way that thy beginning would have been small, in comparison to the great increase of thy latter.

And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.

8 ¶ Ask, I pray thee, of the former age, and be willing to enquire of thy fathers regarding them;

For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,

9 f or we are but of yesterday and know nothing because our days upon earth are as a shadow.

(For of yesterday we, and we know not, For a shadow our days on earth.)

10 S hall they not teach thee and tell thee and utter these words out of their heart?

Do they not shew thee -- speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?

11 C an the rush grow up without mire? Can the meadow grow without water?

`Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?

12 W hilst it is yet in its greenness and not cut down, it withers before any other herb.

While it in its budding -- uncropt, Even before any herb it withereth.

13 S o are the paths of all that forget God, and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish.

So the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,

14 F or his hope shall be cut off, and his trust is a spider’s web.

Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.

15 H e shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand; he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.

He leaneth on his house -- and it standeth not: He taketh hold on it -- and it abideth not.

16 L ike a tree, he is green before the sun, and his branches go forth over his garden;

Green he before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.

17 h is roots weave themselves around a spring and secure themselves even in a stony place.

By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.

18 I f he is uprooted from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.

If doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee!

19 B ehold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth from where he was transplanted, others shall grow.

Lo, this the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.'

20 ¶ Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man; neither will he help the evil doers.

Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.

21 H e will yet fill thy mouth with laughing and thy lips with shouts of joy.

While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,

22 T hose that hate thee shall be clothed with shame, and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!