New International Version | Christian Standard Bible |
1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: | 1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: |
2"How long will you say such things? Your words are a blustering wind. | 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 is right? | 3Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? |
4When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin. | 4Since your children sinned against him, he gave them over to their rebellion. |
5But if you will seek God earnestly and plead with the Almighty, | 5But if you earnestly seek God and ask the Almighty for mercy, |
6if you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your prosperous state. | 6if you are pure and upright, then he will move even now on your behalf and restore the home where your righteousness dwells. |
7Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be. | 7Then, even if your beginnings were modest, your final days will be full of prosperity. |
8"Ask the former generation and find out what their ancestors learned, | 8For ask the previous generation, and pay attention to what their fathers discovered, |
9for we were born only yesterday and know nothing, and our days on earth are but a shadow. | 9since we were born only yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are but a shadow. |
10Will they not instruct you and tell you? Will they not bring forth words from their understanding? | 10Will they not teach you and tell you and speak from their understanding? |
11Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water? | 11Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water? |
12While still growing and uncut, they wither more quickly than grass. | 12While still uncut shoots, they would dry up quicker than any other plant. |
13Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless. | 13Such is the destiny of all who forget God; the hope of the godless will perish. |
14What they trust in is fragile; what they rely on is a spider's web. | 14His source of confidence is fragile; what he trusts in is a spider's web. |
15They lean on the web, but it gives way; they cling to it, but it does not hold. | 15He leans on his web, but it doesn't stand firm. He grabs it, but it does not hold up. |
16They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine, spreading its shoots over the garden; | 16He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine; his shoots spread out over his garden. |
17it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks and looks for a place among the stones. | 17His roots are intertwined around a pile of rocks. He looks for a home among the stones. |
18But when it is torn from its spot, that place disowns it and says, 'I never saw you.' | 18If he is uprooted from his place, it will deny knowing him, saying, "I never saw you." |
19Surely its life withers away, and from the soil other plants grow. | 19Surely this is the joy of his way of life; yet others will sprout from the dust. |
20"Surely God does not reject one who is blameless or strengthen the hands of evildoers. | 20Look, God does not reject a person of integrity, and he will not support evildoers. |
21He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. | 21He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with a shout of joy. |
22Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tents of the wicked will be no more." | 22Your enemies will be clothed with shame; the tent of the wicked will no longer exist. |
New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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