1 THEN answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2 How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?
3 Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?
4 If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;
5 If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
8 For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:
9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)
10 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?
11 Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?
12 Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.
13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:
14 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web.
15 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.
16 He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.
17 His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.
18 If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.
19 Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.
20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:
21 Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.
22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

1Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

2How long wilt thou speake these things? and how long shall the wordes of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

3Doth God peruert iudgement? or doth the Almightie peruert iustice?

4If thy children haue sinned against him, and he haue cast them away for their transgression:

5If thou wouldest seeke vnto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almightie:

6If thou wert pure and vpright, surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousnes prosperous.

7Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

8For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thy selfe to the search of their fathers.

9(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our dayes vpon earth are a shadow.)

10Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, & vtter words out of their heart?

11Can the rush growe vp without myre? can the flag growe without water?

12Whilest it is yet in his greennesse, and not cut downe, it withereth before any other herbe.

13So are the paths of all that forget God, and the hypocrites hope shall perish:

14Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spiders web.

15He shall leane vpon his house, but it shall not stand: he shal hold it fast, but it shall not endure.

16He is greene before the sunne, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.

17His roots are wrapped about the heape, and seeth the place of stones.

18If he destroy him from his place, then it shal denie him, saying, I haue not seene thee.

19Beholde, this is the ioy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.

20Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will hee helpe the euill doers:

21Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with reioycing.

22They that hate thee shall be cloathed with shame, and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

III == Gen 18:25 ; Deut 32:4 ; 2nd Chr 19:7 ; job 34:12 , 17

 

 

IV == Job 1:5 , 18

 

V == Job 5:8 ; 11:13 ; 22:23-30

 

 

 

 

VIII == Deut 4:32 ; 32:7 ; Job 15:18

IX == Gen 47:9 ; 1st Chr 29:15 ; Job 7:6 : Ps 39:5 102:11 ; 144:4

 

 

 

XII == Ps 129:6 ; Jer 17:6

 

XIII == Job 11:20 ; 18:14 ; 27:8 ; Ps 112:10 ; Prov 10:28

XIV == Isa 59:5-6

XV == Job 27:18

 

 

 

XVIII == Job 7:10 ; 20:9 ; Ps 37:36

XIX == Ps 113:7

 

 

 

 

XXII == Ps 35:26 ; 109:29

1 Bildad the Shuhite spoke out and said:

2 How long will you utter such things? The words from your mouth are like a mighty wind!

3 Does God pervert judgment, and does the Almighty distort justice?

4 If your children have sinned against him and he has left them in the grip of their guilt,

5 Still, if you yourself have recourse to God and make supplication to the Almighty,

6 Should you be blameless and upright, surely now he will awake for you and restore your rightful domain;

7 Your former state will be of little moment, for in time to come you will flourish indeed.

8 If you inquire of the former generations, and give heed to the experience of the fathers

9 (As we are but of yesterday and have no knowledge, because our days on earth are but a shadow),

10 Will they not teach you and tell you and utter their words of understanding?

11 Can the papyrus grow up without mire? Can the reed grass flourish without water?

12 While it is yet green and uncut, it withers quicker than any grass.

13 So is the end of everyone who forgets God, and so shall the hope of the godless man perish.

14 His confidence is but a gossamer thread and his trust is a spider's web.

15 He shall rely upon his family, but it shall not last; he shall cling to it, but it shall not endure.

16 He is full of sap before sunrise, and beyond his garden his shoots go forth;

17 About a heap of stones are his roots entwined; among the rocks he takes hold.

18 Yet if one tears him from his place, it will disown him: "I have never seen you!"

19 There he lies rotting beside the road, and out of the soil another sprouts.

20 Behold, God will not cast away the upright; neither will he take the hand of the wicked.

21 Once more will he fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with rejoicing.

22 They that hate you shall be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked shall be no more.

v 1,2. Bildad bluntly barges into the discussion, and picking up on Job’s own word in 6:26, accuses Job’s words of being like a mighty wind.

v 3,4. Job’s friends can only think of suffering as retribution, and since Job’s children died, they died for their sins. But Job had offered sacrifices for their sins.

 

v 5-7. Bildad used typical human reasoning. Job needs to turn to God, because if he was pure and upright, God would prosper him. (Jer. 12:1 asks why wicked prosper.)

 

 

v 8-10. Eliphaz had referred to his own observations, but Bildad suggests greater authority by searching out what the forefathers would say. He assumes they would say that people suffer because of their sin.

 

 

 

v 11-19. Bildad claims truthfully that plants wither without water, so are those who forget God, just as if they trusted in a spider web. However, he was wrong in accusing Job of forgetting God and relying on material things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 20-22. Bildad says God doesn’t reject the blameless or strengthen the wicked, so if Job wasn’t wicked, God wouldn’t treat him that way. (At least God will not permanently cast away a believer.) Since this was not because Job had sinned, those words only frustrated Job the more. Ironically, it is these so called friends of Job who will be shamed later