44 lines
1.9 KiB
Markdown
44 lines
1.9 KiB
Markdown
# Chapter 8
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1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied to Job:
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2 “How long will you go on like this?
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You sound like a blustering wind.
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3 Does God twist justice?
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Does the Almighty twist what is right?
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4 Your children must have sinned against him,
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so their punishment was well deserved.
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5 But if you pray to God
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and seek the favor of the Almighty,
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6 and if you are pure and live with integrity,
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he will surely rise up and restore your happy home.
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7 And though you started with little,
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you will end with much.
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8 “Just ask the previous generation.
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Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors.
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9 For we were born but yesterday and know nothing.
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Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow.
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10 But those who came before us will teach you.
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They will teach you the wisdom of old.
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11 “Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh?
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Can marsh grass flourish without water?
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12 While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut,
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they begin to wither more quickly than grass.
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13 The same happens to all who forget God.
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The hopes of the godless evaporate.
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14 Their confidence hangs by a thread.
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They are leaning on a spider’s web.
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15 They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last.
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They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure.
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16 The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine,
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its branches spreading across the garden.
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17 Its roots grow down through a pile of stones;
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it takes hold on a bed of rocks.
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18 But when it is uprooted,
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it’s as though it never existed!
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19 That’s the end of its life,
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and others spring up from the earth to replace it.
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20 “But look, God will not reject a person of integrity,
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nor will he lend a hand to the wicked.
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21 He will once again fill your mouth with laughter
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and your lips with shouts of joy.
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22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
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and the home of the wicked will be destroyed.” |