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Job's friend Bildad speaks to him [ a ]

8 Job's friend Bildad, who came from Shuah, decided to speak. He said this to Job:

2 ‘You should not continue to talk like this.
Your words are like a wind that blows strongly.
3 Surely you know that God is fair.
The Almighty God never changes right things into wrong things.
4 Your children did things that were wrong.
That is why God punished them.
5 But you should pray to Almighty God.
You should ask him to help you.
6 If you are honest and live in the right way,
God will do something to help you.
He will give you a family again
that will bring you honour.
7 You will be successful in the future,
with more riches than you had before.
8 Think about the people who lived before us.
Study the things that our ancestors learned.
9 We have not lived for very long,
so we do not know very much.
Our lives are like shadows that quickly disappear.
10 But the people who lived before us can teach you.
They can tell you the things that they have learned.
11 Some plants only grow tall in wet ground.
Reeds only grow well where there is water.
12 If the water is no longer there,
they will quickly die.
They will die before they are ready for people to cut them.
They become useless more quickly than grass.
13 People who turn away from God are like those plants.
Their hope quickly disappears.
14 They trust in useless things to help them.
Those things are as weak as a spider's web. [ b ]
15 If they expect something like that to help them,
it will fall down and leave them.
If they take hold of it,
it will not keep them safe.
16 People who turn away from God are like weeds.
When there is plenty of water and the sun shines on them,
they grow all over the garden.
17 Their roots grow around a heap of stones.
They have a strong home among the rocks.
18 But finally, someone pulls those weeds out of the ground.
When that happens,
nobody knows that the weeds were ever there.
19 People who are like weeds only have that kind of joy.
When they disappear, other weeds grow in their place.

20 Listen! God never turns away from a man who is not guilty.
Nor will he ever help wicked people.
21 He will surely make you happy again.
You will be able to laugh and shout with joy.
22 People who hate you will be ashamed.
Wicked people will have nowhere to live.’

Footnotes

  1. 8:1 Bildad tells Job that God is powerful and is always fair. So if Job lives the right way, his life will soon be better. But that does not help Job. He still does not understand why bad things have happened to him.
  2. 8:14 A spider is an insect that uses very thin strings (threads) to make a web. It catches insects in the web for its food.

Bildad Speaks to Job

8 Then Bildad from Shuah answered:

2 “How long will you talk like that?
Your words are nothing but hot air!
3 God is always fair.
God All-Powerful does what is right.
4 If your children sinned against God, he punished them.
They paid for their sins.
5 But now, look to God
and pray to the All-Powerful.
6 If you are pure and good,
he will quickly come to help you.
He will give your family back to you.
7 Then you will have a lot more
than you had in the beginning!

8 “Ask those who are now old.
Find out what their ancestors learned.
9 It seems as though we were born yesterday.
We are too young to know anything.
Our days on earth are very short, like a shadow.
10 Maybe the old people can tell you something.
Maybe they will teach you what they learned.

11 “Can papyrus grow tall on a dry land?
Can reeds grow without water?
12 No, they will dry up before harvest.
They will be too small to cut and use.
13 People who forget God are like that.
Those who oppose him have no hope.
14 They have put their trust in something weak.
It is like a spider’s web.
15 When they lean against it,
it will break.
When they reach out for it,
it will not hold them up.
16 Such people are like a vine that gets plenty of water and sunshine,
and its branches spread throughout the garden.
17 Its roots spread among the rocks,
searching for good soil.
18 But if you move it, it will die,
and no one can tell it was ever there.
19 Everything might have been going well,
but another vine will take its place.
20 God does not support evil people,
and he does not abandon the innocent.
21 So perhaps you might laugh again.
Maybe shouts of joy will come from your lips.
22 Maybe your enemies will be humiliated
and the homes of the wicked destroyed.”

8 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 strong wind?

3 Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?

4 If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;

5 If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, 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 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

8 For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:

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 his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.

13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:

14 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.

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

16 He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.

17 His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.

18 If he destroy him 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 grow.

20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:

21 Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.

22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

Bildad Says God Rewards the Good

8 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,

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 [ a ] the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 ( C ) If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He turned them over to the [ b ] power of their wrongdoing.
5 If you will ( D ) search for God
And implore the compassion of [ c ] the Almighty,
6 If you are pure and upright,
Surely now ( E ) He will stir Himself for you
And restore your righteous [ d ] ( 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 papyrus grow tall 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 [ e ] plant.
13 So are the paths of ( J ) all who forget God;
And the ( K ) hope of the godless will perish,
14 His confidence is fragile,
And his trust is a ( L ) spider’s [ f ] web.
15 He depends on his ( M ) house, but it does not stand;
He holds on to it, but it does not endure.
16 He ( N ) flourishes before the sun,
And his ( O ) shoots spread out over his garden.
17 His roots wrap around a rock pile,
He [ g ] grasps a house of stones.
18 If he is [ h ] 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 Behold, ( S ) God will not reject a person of integrity,
Nor ( T ) will He [ i ] help evildoers.
21 He will yet fill ( U ) your mouth with laughter,
And your lips with joyful shouting.
22 Those who hate you will be ( V ) clothed with shame,
And the ( W ) tent of the wicked will no longer exist.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 8:3 Heb Shaddai
  2. Job 8:4 Lit hand
  3. Job 8:5 Heb Shaddai
  4. Job 8:6 Lit place
  5. Job 8:12 Lit reed
  6. Job 8:14 Lit house
  7. Job 8:17 Heb sees
  8. Job 8:18 Lit swallowed up
  9. Job 8:20 Lit strengthen the hand of

Bildad

8 Then Bildad the Shuhite ( A ) replied:

2 “How long will you say such things? ( B )
Your words are a blustering wind. ( C )
3 Does God pervert justice? ( D )
Does the Almighty pervert what is right? ( E )
4 When your children sinned against him,
he gave them over to the penalty of their sin. ( F )
5 But if you will seek God earnestly
and plead ( G ) with the Almighty, ( H )
6 if you are pure and upright,
even now he will rouse himself on your behalf ( I )
and restore you to your prosperous state. ( J )
7 Your beginnings will seem humble,
so prosperous ( K ) will your future be. ( L )

8 “Ask the former generation ( M )
and find out what their ancestors learned,
9 for we were born only yesterday and know nothing, ( N )
and our days on earth are but a shadow. ( O )
10 Will they not instruct ( P ) you and tell you?
Will they not bring forth words from their understanding? ( Q )
11 Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? ( R )
Can reeds ( S ) thrive without water?
12 While still growing and uncut,
they wither more quickly than grass. ( T )
13 Such is the destiny ( U ) of all who forget God; ( V )
so perishes the hope of the godless. ( W )
14 What they trust in is fragile [ a ] ;
what they rely on is a spider’s web. ( X )
15 They lean on the web, ( Y ) but it gives way;
they cling to it, but it does not hold. ( Z )
16 They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine,
spreading its shoots ( AA ) over the garden; ( AB )
17 it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks
and looks for a place among the stones.
18 But when it is torn from its spot,
that place disowns ( AC ) it and says, ‘I never saw you.’ ( AD )
19 Surely its life withers ( AE ) away,
and [ b ] from the soil other plants grow. ( AF )

20 “Surely God does not reject one who is blameless ( AG )
or strengthen the hands of evildoers. ( AH )
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter ( AI )
and your lips with shouts of joy. ( AJ )
22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame, ( AK )
and the tents ( AL ) of the wicked will be no more.” ( AM )

Footnotes

  1. Job 8:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. Job 8:19 Or Surely all the joy it has / is that
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