Bildad Says God Rewards the Good
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite [a]answered,
2 “How long will you say these things,
And the (A)words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3 “Does (B)God pervert justice?
Or does [b]the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 “(C)If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He delivered them into the [c]power of their transgression.
5 “If you would (D)seek God
And implore the compassion of [d]the Almighty,
6 If you are pure and upright,
Surely now (E)He would rouse Himself for you
And restore your righteous [e](F)estate.
7 “Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your (G)end will increase greatly.
8 “Please (H)inquire of past generations,
And consider the things searched out by their fathers.
9 “For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because (I)our days on earth are as a shadow.
10 “Will they not teach you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their minds?
11 “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the rushes grow without water?
12 “While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other [f]plant.
13 “So are the paths of (J)all who forget God;
And the (K)hope of the godless will perish,
14 Whose confidence is fragile,
And whose trust a (L)spider’s [g]web.
15 “He [h]trusts in his (M)house, but it does not stand;
He holds fast to it, but it does not endure.
16 “He [i](N)thrives before the sun,
And his (O)shoots spread out over his garden.
17 “His roots wrap around a rock pile,
He [j]grasps a house of stones.
18 “If he is [k]removed from (P)his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘(Q)I never saw you.’
19 “Behold, (R)this is the joy of His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.
20 “Lo, (S)God will not reject a man of integrity,
Nor (T)will He [l]support the evildoers.
21 “He will yet fill (U)your mouth with laughter
And your lips with shouting.
22 “Those who hate you will be (V)clothed with shame,
And the (W)tent of the wicked will be no longer.”
Footnotes
- Job 8:1 Lit answered and said
- Job 8:3 Heb Shaddai
- Job 8:4 Lit hand
- Job 8:5 Heb Shaddai
- Job 8:6 Lit place
- Job 8:12 Lit reed
- Job 8:14 Lit house
- Job 8:15 Lit leans on
- Job 8:16 Lit is lush
- Job 8:17 Heb sees
- Job 8:18 Lit swallowed up
- Job 8:20 Lit strengthen the hand of
Cross references
- Job 8:2 : Job 6:26
- Job 8:3 : Gen 18:25; Deut 32:4; 2 Chr 19:7; Job 34:10, 12; 36:23; 37:23; Rom 3:5
- Job 8:4 : Job 1:5, 18, 19
- Job 8:5 : Job 5:17-27
- Job 8:6 : Job 22:27; 34:28; Ps 7:6
- Job 8:6 : Job 5:24
- Job 8:7 : Job 42:12
- Job 8:8 : Deut 4:32; 32:7; Job 15:18; 20:4
- Job 8:9 : Job 14:2
- Job 8:13 : Ps 9:17
- Job 8:13 : Job 11:20; 13:16; 15:34; 20:5; 27:8
- Job 8:14 : Is 59:5, 6
- Job 8:15 : Job 8:22; 27:18; Ps 49:11
- Job 8:16 : Ps 37:35; Jer 11:16
- Job 8:16 : Ps 80:11
- Job 8:18 : Job 7:10
- Job 8:18 : Job 7:8
- Job 8:19 : Job 20:5
- Job 8:20 : Job 4:7
- Job 8:20 : Job 21:30
- Job 8:21 : Job 5:22; Ps 126:1, 2
- Job 8:22 : Ps 132:18
- Job 8:22 : Job 8:15; 15:34; 18:14; 21:28