1Then Bildad, from the Shuah area, spoke to Job. He said,
2“Job, how much longer will you talk like this?
3Almighty God certainly never does [RHQ] what is unfair/unjust.
4So, it is evident that your children have sinned against him,
5But, if you will now earnestly request [DOU] Almighty God to help you,
6and if you are pure and honest/righteous,
7And even though you think that you were not very prosperous/wealthy before,
8“I request you to think about what happened long ago
9It seems as though we were born only yesterday
10So, why do you not allow your ancestors to teach you and tell you something?
11Papyrus can certainly not [RHQ] grow in places where there is no marsh/swamp;
12If they do not have enough water, while they are still blossoming,
13Those who do not pay attention to what God says are like those reeds;
14The things they confidently expect to happen do not happen;
15If they lean against a house (OR, trust in their wealth; OR, lean on a spider web), it does not ◄endure/protect them► [LIT];
16Godless people are like plants [MET] that are watered before the sun rises;
17The roots of those plants twist around piles of stones
18But if those plants are pulled out,
19Truly, evil people [MET] are not joyful [IRO] for a long time;
20:So, I tell you, Job, God will not reject you if you are truly godly/righteous,
21He will enable you [MTY] to continually laugh
22But those who hate you will be very ashamed,