1 T hen Bildad the Shuhite answered,

¶ Then Bildad, the Shuhite, answered and said,

2 “ How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be a strong wind?

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

3 D oes God make wrong what is fair? Does the All-powerful make wrong what is right?

Shall God pervert that which is right or shall the Almighty pervert justice?

4 I f your children have sinned against Him, He has given them over to the power of their sin.

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

5 I f you will look for God and pray to the All-powerful,

if thou would seek God early and make thy supplication to the Almighty,

6 i f you are pure and right and good, for sure He will help you. Because you are right and good He will put you back where you should be.

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

7 A nd even if your beginning was small, your end will be very great.

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

8 “ Ask about those who have lived before. Think about what their fathers learned.

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

9 F or we are only of yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are as a shadow.

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

10 W ill they not teach you and tell you, and speak words of wisdom?

Shall they not teach thee and tell thee and utter these words out of their heart?

11 “ Can the tall river grass grow up from dry ground? Can the grass that grows in wet places grow without water?

Can the rush grow up without mire? Can the meadow grow without water?

12 W hile it is still green and not cut, it becomes dry and dead before any other plant.

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

13 S o are the ways of all who forget God. The hope of the man without God is destroyed.

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

14 W hat he trusts in is easy to break, like the home of a spider.

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

15 T he spider trusts in his house, but it falls apart. He holds on to it, but it does not hold.

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

16 H e is full of strength in the sunshine, and his branches spread out over his garden.

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

17 H is roots grow around rocks and they work their way among the stones.

his roots weave themselves around a spring and secure themselves even in a stony place.

18 I f he is taken from his place, then it will turn away from him, saying, ‘I have never seen you.’

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

19 S ee, this is the joy of His way. And out of the dust others will come.

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

20 S ee, God will not turn away from a man who is honest and faithful. And He will not help those who do wrong.

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

21 H e will yet make you laugh and call out with joy.

He will yet fill thy mouth with laughing and thy lips with shouts of joy.

22 T hose who hate you will be dressed with shame. And the tent of the sinful will be no more.”

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