1. |
And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: -- |
2. |
Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind -- sayings of thy mouth? |
3. |
Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice? |
4. |
If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression, |
5. |
If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication, |
6. |
If pure and upright thou `art', Surely now He waketh for thee, And hath completed The habitation of thy righteousness. |
7. |
And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great. |
8. |
For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers, |
9. |
(For of yesterday we `are', and we know not, For a shadow `are' our days on earth.) |
10. |
Do they not shew thee -- speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words? |
11. |
`Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water? |
12. |
While it `is' in its budding -- uncropt, Even before any herb it withereth. |
13. |
So `are' the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish, |
14. |
Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust. |
15. |
He leaneth on his house -- and it standeth not: He taketh hold on it -- and it abideth not. |
16. |
Green he `is' before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out. |
17. |
By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for. |
18. |
If `one' doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee! |
19. |
Lo, this `is' the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.' |
20. |
Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers. |
21. |
While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting, |
22. |
Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not! |