[1] Then Bildad the Shuhite responded, [2] “How long will you say these things, And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind? [3] “Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert what is right? [4] “If your sons sinned against Him, Then He turned them over to the power of their wrongdoing. [5] “If you will search for God And implore the compassion of the Almighty, [6] If you are pure and upright, Surely now He will stir Himself for you And restore your righteous estate. [7] “Though your beginning was insignificant, Yet your end will increase greatly. [8] “Please inquire of past generations, And consider the things searched out by their fathers. [9] “For we are only of yesterday and know nothing, Because 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 plant. [13] “So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the godless will perish, [14] His confidence is fragile, And his trust is a spider’s web. [15] “He depends on his house, but it does not stand; He holds on to it, but it does not endure. [16] “He flourishes before the sun, And his shoots spread out over his garden. [17] “His roots wrap around a rock pile, He grasps a house of stones. [18] “If he is removed from his place, Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’ [19] “Behold, this is the joy of His way; And out of the dust others will spring. [20] “Behold, God will not reject a person of integrity, Nor will He help evildoers. [21] “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, And your lips with joyful shouting. [22] “Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, And the tent of the wicked will no longer exist.”
