Job 8

_1-2Are you finally through with your windy speech?

₃God never twists justice;

he never fails to do what is right.

₄Your children must have sinned against God,

and so he punished them as they deserved.

₅But turn now and plead with Almighty God;

₆if you are so honest and pure,

then God will come and help you

and restore your household as your reward.

₇All the wealth you lost will be nothing

compared with what God will give you then.

₈Look for a moment at ancient wisdom;

consider the truths our ancestors learnt.

₉Our life is short, we know nothing at all;

we pass like shadows across the earth.

₁₀But let the wise ancestors teach you;

listen to what they had to say:

₁₁“Reeds can't grow where there is no water;

they are never found outside a swamp.

₁₂If the water dries up, they are the first to wither,

while still too small to be cut and used.

₁₃Godless men are like those reeds;

their hope is gone, once God is forgotten.

₁₄They trust a thread — a spider's web.

₁₅If they lean on a web, will it hold them up?

If they grab for a thread, will it help them stand?”

₁₆The wicked sprout like weeds in the sun,

like weeds that spread all through the garden.

₁₇Their roots wrap round the stones

and hold fast to every rock.

₁₈But then pull them up —

no one will ever know they were there.

₁₉Yes, that's all the joy wicked people have;

others now come and take their places.

₂₀But God will never abandon the faithful

or ever give help to evil people.

₂₁He will let you laugh and shout again,

₂₂but he will bring disgrace on those who hate you,

and the homes of the wicked will vanish.