| New Living Translation | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied to Job: | 1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, |
| 2“How long will you go on like this? You sound like a blustering wind. | 2"How long will you say these things, And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind? |
| 3Does God twist justice? Does the Almighty twist what is right? | 3"Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert what is right? |
| 4Your children must have sinned against him, so their punishment was well deserved. | 4"If your sons sinned against Him, Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression. |
| 5But if you pray to God and seek the favor of the Almighty, | 5"If you would seek God And implore the compassion of the Almighty, |
| 6and if you are pure and live with integrity, he will surely rise up and restore your happy home. | 6If you are pure and upright, Surely now He would rouse Himself for you And restore your righteous estate. |
| 7And though you started with little, you will end with much. | 7"Though your beginning was insignificant, Yet your end will increase greatly. |
| 8“Just ask the previous generation. Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors. | 8"Please inquire of past generations, And consider the things searched out by their fathers. |
| 9For we were born but yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow. | 9"For we are only of yesterday and know nothing, Because our days on earth are as a shadow. |
| 10But those who came before us will teach you. They will teach you the wisdom of old. | 10"Will they not teach you and tell you, And bring forth words from their minds? |
| 11“Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh? Can marsh grass flourish without water? | 11"Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the rushes grow without water? |
| 12While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut, they begin to wither more quickly than grass. | 12"While it is still green and not cut down, Yet it withers before any other plant. |
| 13The same happens to all who forget God. The hopes of the godless evaporate. | 13"So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the godless will perish, |
| 14Their confidence hangs by a thread. They are leaning on a spider’s web. | 14Whose confidence is fragile, And whose trust a spider's web. |
| 15They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last. They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure. | 15"He trusts in his house, but it does not stand; He holds fast to it, but it does not endure. |
| 16The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine, its branches spreading across the garden. | 16"He thrives before the sun, And his shoots spread out over his garden. |
| 17Its roots grow down through a pile of stones; it takes hold on a bed of rocks. | 17"His roots wrap around a rock pile, He grasps a house of stones. |
| 18But when it is uprooted, it’s as though it never existed! | 18"If he is removed from his place, Then it will deny him, saying, 'I never saw you.' |
| 19That’s the end of its life, and others spring up from the earth to replace it. | 19"Behold, this is the joy of His way; And out of the dust others will spring. |
| 20“But look, God will not reject a person of integrity, nor will he lend a hand to the wicked. | 20"Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, Nor will He support the evildoers. |
| 21He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. | 21"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter And your lips with shouting. |
| 22Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the home of the wicked will be destroyed.” | 22"Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, And the tent of the wicked will be no longer." |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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