[1] Then Bildad the Shuhite replied to Job: [2] "How long will you go on like this? You sound like a blustering wind. [3] Does God twist justice? Does the Almighty twist what is right? [4] Your children must have sinned against him, so their punishment was well deserved. [5] But if you pray to God and seek the favor of the Almighty, [6] and if you are pure and live with integrity, he will surely rise up and restore your happy home. [7] And though you started with little, you will end with much. [8] "Just ask the previous generation. Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors. [9] For we were born but yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow. [10] But those who came before us will teach you. They will teach you the wisdom of old. [11] "Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh? Can marsh grass flourish without water? [12] While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut, they begin to wither more quickly than grass. [13] The same happens to all who forget God. The hopes of the godless evaporate. [14] Their confidence hangs by a thread. They are leaning on a spider's web. [15] They cling to their home for security, but it won't last. They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure. [16] The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine, its branches spreading across the garden. [17] Its roots grow down through a pile of stones; it takes hold on a bed of rocks. [18] But when it is uprooted, it's as though it never existed! [19] That's the end of its life, and others spring up from the earth to replace it. [20] "But look, God will not reject a person of integrity, nor will he lend a hand to the wicked. [21] He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. [22] Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the home of the wicked will be destroyed."
