1 T hen Bildad the Shuhite answered,

And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: --

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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