[1] Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: [2] How long will you go on saying these things? Your words are a blast of wind. [3] Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? [4] Since your children sinned against him, he gave them over to their rebellion. [5] But if you earnestly seek God and ask the Almighty for mercy, [6] if you are pure and upright, then he will move even now on your behalf and restore the home where your righteousness dwells. [7] Then, even if your beginnings were modest, your final days will be full of prosperity. [8] For ask the previous generation, and pay attention to what their ancestors discovered, [9] since we were born only yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are but a shadow. [10] Will they not teach you and tell you and speak from their understanding? [11] Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water? [12] While still uncut shoots, they would dry up quicker than any other plant. [13] Such is the destiny of all who forget God; the hope of the godless will perish. [14] His source of confidence is fragile; what he trusts in is a spider's web. [15] He leans on his web, but it doesn't stand firm. He grabs it, but it does not hold up. [16] He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine; his shoots spread out over his garden. [17] His roots are intertwined around a pile of rocks. He looks for a home among the stones. [18] If he is uprooted from his place, it will deny knowing him, saying, "I never saw you." [19] Surely this is the joy of his way of life; yet others will sprout from the dust. [20] Look, God does not reject a person of integrity, and he will not support evildoers. [21] He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with a shout of joy. [22] Your enemies will be clothed with shame; the tent of the wicked will no longer exist.
