Job 8

¹ Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

² How long wilt thou speak these things? And how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a mighty wind?

³ Doth God pervert justice? Or doth the Almighty pervert righteousness?

⁴ If thy children have sinned against him, And he hath delivered them into the hand of their transgression;

⁵ If thou wouldest seek diligently unto God, And make thy supplication to the Almighty;

⁶ If thou wert pure and upright: Surely now he would awake for thee, And make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

⁷ And though thy beginning was small, Yet thy latter end would greatly increase.

⁸ For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, And apply thyself to that which their fathers have searched out

⁹ (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, Because our days upon earth are a shadow);

¹⁰ Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, And utter words out of their heart?

¹¹ Can the rush grow up without mire? Can the flag grow without water?

¹² Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down, It withereth before any other herb.

¹³ So are the paths of all that forget God; And the hope of the godless man shall perish:

¹⁴ Whose confidence shall break in sunder, And whose trust is a spider’s web.

¹⁵ He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: He shall hold fast thereby, but it shall not endure.

¹⁶ He is green before the sun, And his shoots go forth over his garden.

¹⁷ His roots are wrapped about the stone-heap, He beholdeth the place of stones.

¹⁸ If he be destroyed from his place, Then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.

¹⁹ Behold, this is the joy of his way; And out of the earth shall others spring.

²⁰ Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, Neither will he uphold the evil-doers.

²¹ He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, And thy lips with shouting.

²² They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; And the tent of the wicked shall be no more.