| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: | 1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: |
| 2“How long will you speak these things, And the words of your mouth be like a strong wind? | 2How long will you go on saying these things? Your words are a blast of wind. |
| 3Does God subvert judgment? Or does the Almighty pervert justice? | 3Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? |
| 4If your sons have sinned against Him, He has cast them away for their transgression. | 4Since your children sinned against Him, He gave them over to their rebellion. |
| 5If you would earnestly seek God And make your supplication to the Almighty, | 5But if you earnestly seek God and ask the Almighty for mercy, |
| 6If you were pure and upright, Surely now He would awake for you, And prosper your rightful dwelling place. | 6if you are pure and upright, then He will move even now on your behalf and restore the home where your righteousness dwells. |
| 7Though your beginning was small, Yet your latter end would increase abundantly. | 7Then, even if your beginnings were modest, your final days will be full of prosperity. |
| 8“For inquire, please, of the former age, And consider the things discovered by their fathers; | 8For ask the previous generation, and pay attention to what their fathers discovered, |
| 9For we were born yesterday, and know nothing, Because our days on earth are a shadow. | 9since we were born only yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are but a shadow. |
| 10Will they not teach you and tell you, And utter words from their heart? | 10Will they not teach you and tell you and speak from their understanding? |
| 11“Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the reeds flourish without water? | 11Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water? |
| 12While it is yet green and not cut down, It withers before any other plant. | 12While still uncut shoots, they would dry up quicker than any other plant. |
| 13So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the hypocrite shall perish, | 13Such is the destiny of all who forget God; the hope of the godless will perish. |
| 14Whose confidence shall be cut off, And whose trust is a spider’s web. | 14His source of confidence is fragile; what he trusts in is a spider's web. |
| 15He leans on his house, but it does not stand. He holds it fast, but it does not endure. | 15He leans on his web, but it doesn't stand firm. He grabs it, but it does not hold up. |
| 16He grows green in the sun, And his branches spread out in his garden. | 16He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine; his shoots spread out over his garden. |
| 17His roots wrap around the rock heap, And look for a place in the stones. | 17His roots are intertwined around a pile of rocks. He looks for a home among the stones. |
| 18If he is destroyed from his place, Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have not seen you.’ | 18If he is uprooted from his place, it will deny knowing him, saying, "I never saw you." |
| 19“Behold, this is the joy of His way, And out of the earth others will grow. | 19Surely this is the joy of his way of life; yet others will sprout from the dust. |
| 20Behold, God will not cast away the blameless, Nor will He uphold the evildoers. | 20Look, God does not reject a person of integrity, and He will not support evildoers. |
| 21He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, And your lips with rejoicing. | 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 dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing.” | 22Your enemies will be clothed with shame; the tent of the wicked will exist no longer. |
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