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Job chapter 8 in Hebrew and English

22 verses, about 2 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

וַיַּעַן בִּלְדַּד הַשּׁוּחִי וַיֹאמַֽר׃

Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said:

עַד־אָן תְּמַלֶּל־אֵלֶּה וְרוּחַ כַּבִּיר אִמְרֵי־פִֽיךָ׃

How long wilt thou speak these things, Seeing that the words of thy mouth are as a mighty wind?

הַאֵל יְעַוֵּת מִשְׁפָּט וְאִם־שַׁדַּי יְעַוֵּֽת־צֶֽדֶק׃

Doth God pervert judgment? Or doth the Almighty pervert justice?

אִם־בָּנֶיךָ חָטְאוּ־לוֹ וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם בְּיַד־פִּשְׁעָֽם׃

If thy children sinned against Him, He delivered them into the hand of their transgression.

אִם־אַתָּה תְּשַׁחֵר אֶל־אֵל וְאֶל־שַׁדַּי תִּתְחַנָּֽן׃

If thou wouldest seek earnestly unto God, And make thy supplication to the Almighty;

אִם־זַךְ וְיָשָׁר אָתָּה כִּי־עַתָּה יָעִיר עָלֶיךָ וְשִׁלַּם נְוַת צִדְקֶֽךָ׃

If thou wert pure and upright; Surely now He would awake for thee, And make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

וְהָיָה רֵאשִׁיתְךָ מִצְעָר וְּאַחֲרִיתְךָ יִשְׂגֶּה מְאֹֽד׃

And though thy beginning was small, Yet thy end should greatly increase.

כִּי־שְׁאַל־נָא לְדֹר רִישׁוֹן וְכוֹנֵן לְחֵקֶר אֲבוֹתָֽם׃

For inquire, I pray thee, of the former generation, And apply thyself to that which their fathers have searched out -

כִּי־תְמוֹל אֲנַחְנוּ וְלֹא נֵדָע כִּי צֵל יָמֵינוּ עֲלֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃

For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, Because our days upon earth are a shadow -

הֲלֹא־הֵם יוֹרוּךָ יֹאמְרוּ לָךְ וּמִלִּבָּם יוֹצִאוּ מִלִּֽים׃

Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, And utter words out of their heart?

הֲיִגְאֶה־גֹּמֶא בְּלֹא בִצָּה יִשְׂגֶּה־אָחוּ בְלִי־מָֽיִם׃

Can the rush shoot up without mire? Can the reed-grass grow without water?

עֹדֶנּוּ בְאִבּוֹ לֹא יִקָּטֵף וְלִפְנֵי כָל־חָצִיר יִיבָֽשׁ׃

Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down, It withereth before any other herb.

כֵּן אָרְחוֹת כָּל־שֹׁכְחֵי אֵל וְתִקְוַת חָנֵף תֹּאבֵֽד׃

So are the paths of all that forget God; And the hope of the godless man shall perish;

אֲשֶׁר־יָקוֹט כִּסְלוֹ וּבֵית עַכָּבִישׁ מִבְטַחֽוֹ׃

Whose confidence is gossamer, And whose trust is a spider’s web.

יִשָּׁעֵן עַל־בֵּיתוֹ וְלֹא יַעֲמֹד יַחֲזִיק בּוֹ וְלֹא יָקֽוּם׃

He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand; He shall hold fast thereby, but it shall not endure.

רָטֹב הוּא לִפְנֵי־שָׁמֶשׁ וְעַל גַּנָּתוֹ יֹנַקְתּוֹ תֵצֵֽא׃

He is green before the sun, And his shoots go forth over his garden.

עַל־גַּל שָׁרָשָׁיו יְסֻבָּכוּ בֵּית אֲבָנִים יֶחֱזֶֽה׃

His roots are wrapped about the heap, He beholdeth the place of stones.

אִם־יְבַלְּעֶנּוּ מִמְּקוֹמוֹ וְכִחֶשׁ בּוֹ לֹא רְאִיתִֽיךָ׃

If he be destroyed from his place, Then it shall deny him: ‘I have not seen thee.’

הֶן־הוּא מְשׂוֹשׂ דַּרְכּוֹ וּמֵעָפָר אַחֵר יִצְמָֽחוּ׃

Behold, this is the joy of his way, And out of the earth shall others spring.

הֶן־אֵל לֹא יִמְאַס־תָּם וְלֹא־יַחֲזִיק בְּיַד־מְרֵעִֽים׃

Behold, God will not cast away an innocent man, Neither will He uphold the evil-doers;

עַד־יְמַלֵּה שְׂחוֹק פִּיךָ וּשְׂפָתֶיךָ תְרוּעָֽה׃

Till He fill thy mouth with laughter, And thy lips with shouting.

שֹׂנְאֶיךָ יִלְבְּשׁוּ־בֹשֶׁת וְאֹהֶל רְשָׁעִים אֵינֶֽנּוּ׃

They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; And the tent of the wicked shall be no more.

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 8 of the 42 chapters of Job
  • Job is one of the Writings
  • 22 verses, 166 words, about 2 minutes to read

Job has 42 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Job·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Job chapter 8 have?

Job chapter 8 has 22 verses and 166 words.

How does Job chapter 8 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words ויען בלדד השוחי ויאמר.

Where does Job chapter 8 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 8 of the 42 chapters of Job, which is one of the Writings.

How long does it take to read Job chapter 8?

About 2 minutes, at a steady pace.