| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then in response, Bildad from Shuah said: | 1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: |
| 2"How long will you keep talking like this? How long will you keep talking like a wind storm? | 2How long will you go on saying these things? Your words are a blast of wind. |
| 3Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what's right? | 3Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? |
| 4"If your children sin against him, he'll make them a prisoner of their sins. | 4Since your children sinned against Him, He gave them over to their rebellion. |
| 5If you seek God, if you ask the Almighty for mercy, | 5But if you earnestly seek God and ask the Almighty for mercy, |
| 6if you are clean and upright, surely then, he'll act on your behalf and restore your rightful place. | 6if you are pure and upright, then He will move even now on your behalf and restore the home where your righteousness dwells. |
| 7Your beginning may be small, but later years will be very great. | 7Then, even if your beginnings were modest, your final days will be full of prosperity. |
| 8"Inquire of the previous generation, won't you please? Consider what their forefathers searched out. | 8For ask the previous generation, and pay attention to what their fathers discovered, |
| 9Because we are of yesterday and we know nothing, for our time on earth is only a shadow. | 9since we were born only yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are but a shadow. |
| 10Won't they instruct you, and tell you, and bring out words from the heart? | 10Will they not teach you and tell you and speak from their understanding? |
| 11"Can papyrus grow where there's no marsh? Can reeds flourish without water? | 11Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water? |
| 12While they are still green and not yet ready to be harvested, they wither before any plant. | 12While still uncut shoots, they would dry up quicker than any other plant. |
| 13Such are the paths of everyone who forgets God— the hope of the godless will be destroyed: | 13Such is the destiny of all who forget God; the hope of the godless will perish. |
| 14his confidence is shattered; his trust is in a spider's web. | 14His source of confidence is fragile; what he trusts in is a spider's web. |
| 15He leans against his house, but it won't stand; he grabs hold of it firmly, but it doesn't last. | 15He leans on his web, but it doesn't stand firm. He grabs it, but it does not hold up. |
| 16He is a fresh sapling planted in the sunlight, spreading out its branches over its garden. | 16He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine; his shoots spread out over his garden. |
| 17Its roots weave around a pile of stones, seeking to entrench itself among the rocks. | 17His roots are intertwined around a pile of rocks. He looks for a home among the stones. |
| 18If he is uprooted from his place, then it will deny him: 'I never saw you.' | 18If he is uprooted from his place, it will deny knowing him, saying, "I never saw you." |
| 19"Indeed, this is the benefit of God's way: from the soil other plants will sprout. | 19Surely this is the joy of his way of life; yet others will sprout from the dust. |
| 20Surely God won't reject those who are blameless or hold hands with those who practice evil. | 20Look, God does not reject a person of integrity, and He will not support evildoers. |
| 21He will soon fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips will shout with joy. | 21He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with a shout of joy. |
| 22Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will no longer exist. | 22Your enemies will be clothed with shame; the tent of the wicked will exist no longer. |
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