| King James Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, | 1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied to Job: |
| 2How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind? | 2“How long will you go on like this? You sound like a blustering wind. |
| 3Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice? | 3Does God twist justice? Does the Almighty twist what is right? |
| 4If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression; | 4Your children must have sinned against him, so their punishment was well deserved. |
| 5If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; | 5But if you pray to God and seek the favor of the Almighty, |
| 6If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. | 6and if you are pure and live with integrity, he will surely rise up and restore your happy home. |
| 7Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase. | 7And though you started with little, you will end with much. |
| 8For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers: | 8“Just ask the previous generation. Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors. |
| 9(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:) | 9For we were born but yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow. |
| 10Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart? | 10But those who came before us will teach you. They will teach you the wisdom of old. |
| 11Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water? | 11“Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh? Can marsh grass flourish without water? |
| 12Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb. | 12While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut, they begin to wither more quickly than grass. |
| 13So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish: | 13The same happens to all who forget God. The hopes of the godless evaporate. |
| 14Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web. | 14Their confidence hangs by a thread. They are leaning on a spider’s web. |
| 15He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure. | 15They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last. They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure. |
| 16He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden. | 16The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine, its branches spreading across the garden. |
| 17His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones. | 17Its roots grow down through a pile of stones; it takes hold on a bed of rocks. |
| 18If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee. | 18But when it is uprooted, it’s as though it never existed! |
| 19Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow. | 19That’s the end of its life, and others spring up from the earth to replace it. |
| 20Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers: | 20“But look, God will not reject a person of integrity, nor will he lend a hand to the wicked. |
| 21Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing. | 21He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. |
| 22They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought. | 22Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the home of the wicked will be destroyed.” |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | 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. |
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