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

And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

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

How long wilt thou speak these things? and the words of thy mouth be a strong wind?

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

Doth God pervert judgment, and the Almighty pervert justice?

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

If thy children have sinned against him, he hath also given them over into the hand of their transgression.

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

If thou seek earnestly unto God, and make thy 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.

If thou be pure and upright, surely now he will awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous;

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

And though thy beginning was small, yet thine end shall be very great.

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

For inquire, I pray thee, of the former generation, and attend to the researches of their fathers;

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

For we are of yesterday, and know nothing, for 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 they teach thee, tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?

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

Doth the papyrus shoot up without mire? doth the reed-grass grow without water?

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

Whilst it is yet in its greenness not cut down, it withereth before any grass.

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

So are the paths of all that forget God; and the profane man's hope shall perish,

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

Whose confidence shall be cut off, and his reliance 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, and it shall not stand; he shall lay hold on it, but it shall not endure.

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

He is full of sap before the sun, and his sprout shooteth forth over his garden;

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

His roots are entwined about the stoneheap; he seeth the place of stones.

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

If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him: I have not seen thee!

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

Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the dust shall others grow.

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

Behold, God will not cast off a perfect man, neither will he take evil-doers by the hand.

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

Whilst he would fill thy mouth with laughing and thy lips with shouting,

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

They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked be no more.