The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
King James Version KJV
1 Bildad the Shuchi spoke next:
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Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2 "How long will you go on talking like this? What you are saying is raging wind!
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How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?
3 Does God distort judgment? Does Shaddai pervert justice?
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Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?
4 If your children sinned against him, he left them to be victims of their own offense.
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If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;
5 "If you will earnestly seek God and plead for Shaddai's favor,
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If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
6 if you are pure and upright; then he will rouse himself for you and fulfill your needs.
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If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
7 Then, although your beginnings were small, your future will be very great indeed.
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Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
8 "Ask the older generation, and consider what their ancestors found out;
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For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:
9 for we who were born yesterday know nothing, our days on earth are but a shadow.
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(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)
10 They will teach you, they will tell you, they will say what is in their hearts:
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Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?
11 'Can papyrus grow except in a marsh? Can swamp grass flourish without water?
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Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?
12 While still green, before being cut down, it dries up faster than any other plant.
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Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.
13 Such are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of a hypocrite will perish -
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So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:
14 his confidence is mere gossamer, his trust a spider's web.
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Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.
15 He can lean on his house, but it won't stand; he can hold on to it, but it won't last;
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He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.
16 [for its destruction will come] like the lush growth of a plant in the sun, its shoots may spread out all over its garden,
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He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.
17 but meanwhile its roots cause the stone house to collapse, as it seizes hold of the rocks;
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His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.
18 someone who tears it away from its place denies he has ever seen it.
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If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.
19 Yes, this is the "joy" of the way [of the godless], and out of the dust will spring up others [like him].'
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Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.
20 "Look, God will not reject a blameless man; nor will he uphold wrongdoers.
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Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
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Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.
22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will cease to exist."
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They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The King James Version is in the public domain.