Chapter 8

And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: --

Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind -- sayings of thy mouth?

Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?

If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,

If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,

If pure and upright thou art, Surely now He waketh for thee, And hath completed The habitation of thy righteousness.

And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.

For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,

(For of yesterday we are, and we know not, For a shadow are our days on earth.)

Do they not shew thee -- speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?

`Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?

While it is in its budding -- uncropt, Even before any herb it withereth.

So are the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,

Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.

He leaneth on his house -- and it standeth not: He taketh hold on it -- and it abideth not.

Green he is before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.

By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.

If one doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee!

Lo, this is the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.`

Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.

While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,

Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!