Then Bildad the Shuhite – replied: “How long – will you go on saying such things? The words of your mouth are a blustering wind. Does God pervert justice? – Does the Almighty pervert what is right? When your children sinned against Him, He gave them over – to their rebellion. But if you would earnestly seek – God – and ask the Almighty for mercy, if you are pure and upright, even now He will rouse Himself on your behalf and restore your righteous estate. Though your beginnings were modest, your latter days will flourish. Please – inquire of past generations and consider the discoveries of their fathers. For we were born yesterday and know – nothing; our days on earth are but a shadow. Will they not teach you and tell you, and speak – from their understanding? Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water? While the shoots are still uncut, they dry up quicker than – grass. Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so the hope of the godless will perish. His confidence is fragile; his security is in a spider’s web. He leans on his web, – but it gives way; he holds fast, but it does not endure. He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine, spreading its shoots over the garden. His roots wrap around the rock heap; he looks for a home among the stones. If he is uprooted from his place, it will disown him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’ Surely this is the joy of his way; yet others will spring from the dust. Behold, God does not reject the blameless, nor will He strengthen the hand of evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with a shout of joy. Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more.” Then Job – answered: “Yes, I know that it is so, but how can a mortal be righteous before God? If one wished to contend with God, he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand. God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered? He moves mountains without their knowledge and overturns them in His anger. He shakes the earth from its place, so that its foundations tremble. He commands the sun not to shine; He seals off – the stars. He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. He does great things beyond – searching out, and wonders – without number. Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; were He to move, I would not recognize Him. If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’ God does not restrain His anger; the helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him. How then can I answer Him or choose my arguments against Him? For even if I were right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy. If I summoned Him and He answered me, I do not believe – He would listen to my voice. For He would crush me with a tempest and multiply my wounds without cause. He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness. If it is a matter of strength, He is indeed mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him? Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty. Though I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life. It is all the same, and so – I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’ When the scourge brings sudden death, He mocks the despair of the innocent. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He blindfolds – its judges. If it is not He, then who is it? My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good. They sweep by like boats of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey. If I were to say, ‘I will forget my complaint and change my expression and smile,’ I would still dread all my sufferings; I know that You will not acquit me. Since I am already found guilty, why – should I labor in vain? If I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, then You would plunge me into the pit, and even my own clothes would despise me. For He is not a man like me, that I can answer Him, that we can take each other to court. Nor is there a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon us both. Let Him remove His rod from me, so that His terror will no longer frighten me. Then I would speak without fear of Him. But as it is, I am on my own. “I loathe my own life; I will express – my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God: Do not condemn me! Let me know why – You prosecute me. Does it please You – to oppress me, – to reject the work of Your hands – and favor the schemes of the wicked? Do You have eyes of flesh? – Do You see as man sees? Are Your days like those of a mortal, or Your years like those of a man, that You should seek my iniquity and search out my sin— though You know that I am not guilty, and there is no deliverance from Your hand? Your hands shaped me and altogether formed me. Would You now turn and destroy me? Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust? Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and loving devotion, and Your care has preserved my spirit. Yet You concealed these things in Your heart, and I know that this was in Your mind: If I sinned, You would take note, and would not acquit me of my iniquity. If I am guilty, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift my head. I am full of shame and aware of my affliction. Should I hold my head high, You would hunt me like a lion, and again display Your power against me. You produce new witnesses against me and multiply Your anger toward me. Hardships assault me in wave after wave. Why then did You bring me from the womb? Oh, that I had died, and no eye had seen me! If only I had never come to be, but had been carried from the womb to the grave. Are my days not few? Withdraw – from me, that I may have a little comfort, before I go— never to return— to a land of darkness and gloom, to a land of utter darkness -, of deep shadow and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.”
Job 8-10