| New American Standard Bible 1995 | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, | 1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: |
| 2"How long will you say these things, And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind? | 2How long will you go on saying these things? Your words are a blast of wind. |
| 3"Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert what is right? | 3Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? |
| 4"If your sons sinned against Him, Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression. | 4Since your children sinned against Him, He gave them over to their rebellion. |
| 5"If you would seek God And implore the compassion of the Almighty, | 5But if you earnestly seek God and ask the Almighty for mercy, |
| 6If you are pure and upright, Surely now He would rouse Himself for you And restore your righteous estate. | 6if you are pure and upright, then He will move even now on your behalf and restore the home where your righteousness dwells. |
| 7"Though your beginning was insignificant, Yet your end will increase greatly. | 7Then, even if your beginnings were modest, your final days will be full of prosperity. |
| 8"Please inquire of past generations, And consider the things searched out by their fathers. | 8For ask the previous generation, and pay attention to what their fathers discovered, |
| 9"For we are only of yesterday and know nothing, Because our days on earth are as a shadow. | 9since we were born only yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are but a shadow. |
| 10"Will they not teach you and tell you, And bring forth words from their minds? | 10Will they not teach you and tell you and speak from their understanding? |
| 11"Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the rushes grow without water? | 11Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water? |
| 12"While it is still green and not cut down, Yet it withers before any other plant. | 12While still uncut shoots, they would dry up quicker than any other plant. |
| 13"So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the godless will perish, | 13Such is the destiny of all who forget God; the hope of the godless will perish. |
| 14Whose confidence is fragile, And whose trust a spider's web. | 14His source of confidence is fragile; what he trusts in is a spider's web. |
| 15"He trusts in his house, but it does not stand; He holds fast to it, 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. |
| 16"He thrives before the sun, And his shoots spread out over his garden. | 16He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine; his shoots spread out over his garden. |
| 17"His roots wrap around a rock pile, He grasps a house of stones. | 17His roots are intertwined around a pile of rocks. He looks for a home among the stones. |
| 18"If he is removed from his place, Then it will deny him, saying, 'I never saw 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 dust others will spring. | 19Surely this is the joy of his way of life; yet others will sprout from the dust. |
| 20"Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, Nor will He support the evildoers. | 20Look, God does not reject a person of integrity, and He will not support evildoers. |
| 21"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter And your lips with shouting. | 21He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with a shout of joy. |
| 22"Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, And the tent of the wicked will be no longer." | 22Your enemies will be clothed with shame; the tent of the wicked will exist no longer. |
| 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 | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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