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8:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, 8:2 "How long will you say these things, And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind? 8:3 "Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert what is right? 8:4 "If your sons sinned against Him, Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression. 8:5 "If you would seek God And implore the compassion of the Almighty, 8:6 If you are pure and upright, Surely now He would rouse Himself for you And restore your righteous estate. 8:7 "Though your beginning was insignificant, Yet your end will increase greatly. 8:8 "Please inquire of past generations, And consider the things searched out by their fathers. 8:9 "For we are only of yesterday and know nothing, Because our days on earth are as a shadow. 8:10 "Will they not teach you and tell you, And bring forth words from their minds? 8:11 "Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the rushes grow without water? 8:12 "While it is still green and not cut down, Yet it withers before any other plant. 8:13 "So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the godless will perish, 8:14 Whose confidence is fragile, And whose trust a spider's web. 8:15 "He trusts in his house, but it does not stand; He holds fast to it, but it does not endure. 8:16 "He thrives before the sun, And his shoots spread out over his garden. 8:17 "His roots wrap around a rock pile, He grasps a house of stones. 8:18 "If he is removed from his place, Then it will deny him, saying, 'I never saw you.' 8:19 "Behold, this is the joy of His way; And out of the dust others will spring. 8:20 "Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, Nor will He support the evildoers. 8:21 "He will yet fill your mouth with laughter And your lips with shouting. 8:22 "Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, And the tent of the wicked will be no longer."