1 A nd Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: --

Then answered Bildad the Shuhite,

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

How long will you say these things ? And how long shall the words of your mouth be as a mighty wind?

3 D oth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?

Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert righteousness?

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

If your children have sinned against Him, then He has delivered them into the power of their transgression.

5 I f thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,

If you will seek God diligently and make your supplication to the Almighty,

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

Then, if you are pure and upright, surely He will bestir Himself for you and make your righteous dwelling prosperous again.

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

And though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would greatly increase.

8 F or, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,

For inquire, I pray you, of the former age and apply yourself to that which their fathers have searched out,

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

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

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

Shall not teach you and tell you and utter words out of their hearts (the deepest part of their nature)?

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

Can the rush or papyrus grow up without marsh? Can the flag or reed grass grow without water?

12 W hile it in its budding -- uncropt, Even before any herb it withereth.

While it is yet green, in flower, and not cut down, it withers before any other herb.

13 S o the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,

So are the ways of all who forget God; and the hope of the godless shall perish.

14 W hose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.

For his confidence breaks, and his trust is a spider’s web.

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

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

16 G reen he before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.

He is green before the sun, and his shoots go forth over his garden.

17 B y a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.

his roots are wrapped about the heap, and see their way among the rocks.

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

But if snatches him from his property, it will forget and deny him, I have never seen you.

19 L o, this the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.'

See, this is the joy of going the way! And from the dust others will spring up.

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

Behold, as surely as God will never uphold wrongdoers, He will never cast away a blameless man.

21 W hile he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with joyful shouting.

22 T hose hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!

Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tents of the wicked shall be no more.