1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied to Job:
2"How long will you go on like this? Your words are a blustering wind.
3Does God twist justice? Does the Almighty twist what is right?
4Your children obviously sinned against him, so their punishment was well deserved.
5But if you pray to God and seek the favor of the Almighty,
6if you are pure and live with complete integrity, he will rise up and restore your happy home.
7And though you started with little, you will end with much.
8"Just ask the former generation. Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors.
9For we were born but yesterday and know so little. Our days on earth are as transient as a shadow.
10But those who came before us will teach you. They will teach you from the wisdom of former generations.
11"Can papyrus reeds grow where there is no marsh? Can bulrushes flourish where there is no water?
12While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut, they begin to wither.
13Such is the fate of all who forget God. The hope of the godless comes to nothing.
14Everything they count on will collapse. They are leaning on a spiderweb.
15They cling to their home for security, but it won't last. They try to hold it fast, but it will not endure.
16The godless seem so strong, like a lush plant growing in the sunshine, its branches spreading across the garden.
17Its roots grow down through a pile of rocks to hold it firm.
18But when it is uprooted, it isn't even missed!
19That is the end of its life, and others spring up from the earth to replace it.
20"But look! God will not reject a person of integrity, nor will he make evildoers prosper.
21He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
22Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will be destroyed."