1Then Bildad from Shua replied,
2“How long will you speak like this? Will your words be like a strong wind?
3Does God twist justice? Or does the Almighty twist what is right?
4If your children sinned against him, then he let them suffer the consequences of their sin.
5If you earnestly seek God and pray to the Almighty,
6if you are pure and honest, then he will certainly help you now and make your righteous home prosperous again.
7Although you started with very little, your future will be very great.
8“Please ask the generations before us. Find out what their ancestors learned.
9(For we were born only yesterday and know nothing, because our time on earth is like a shadow.)
10Shouldn't they teach you and speak words from their heart?
11"Can papyrus grow in a dry place? Can reeds grow without water?
12While still green and not yet cut, they wither faster than any other plant.
13This is the fate of all who forget God; the hope of godless people will die.
14Their confidence will crumble; their trust is like a spider's web.
15They will lean on their house, but it won't stand. They will cling to it, but it won't last.
16They are like a plant flourishing in the sun, with shoots spreading out in its garden.
17Its roots wrap around a pile of rocks, finding a place among the stones.
18If it is torn from its place, then the ground will disown it, saying, 'I have never seen you.'
19Look, that was the joy of its life; from the ground, other plants will sprout.
20"Look, God will not reject a blameless person, nor will he support evildoers.
21He will still fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
22Those who hate you will be covered with shame, and the home of the wicked will disappear."