Job 18

Bildad the Shuhite responds to Job, rebuking him for his words and asserting that Job's anger is self-destructive. He then launches into a vivid description of the inevitable and severe consequences awaiting the wicked. Bildad emphasizes that the light of the wicked will be extinguished, their paths ensnared, and their memory erased from the earth, concluding that such is the fate of those who know not God.

Bildad begins his address by chastising Job for his prolonged lamentations and for viewing his friends as irrational. He questions why Job believes the natural order should be disturbed for his sake, implying Job's self-inflicted suffering. Bildad then shifts to a detailed portrayal of the downfall of the wicked, asserting that their prosperity, symbolized by "light" and "fire," will be extinguished. He describes how the wicked become entangled in their own devices, caught in snares and traps laid by their own actions. Terrors will beset them, their strength will wane, and their confidence will lead them to the "king of terrors." Their homes will be desolate, their lineage cut off, and their very remembrance will vanish from the earth. Bildad concludes by firmly stating that this grim end is the certain destiny of the ungodly and those who reject divine knowledge.

Bildad the Shuhite opens his discourse by expressing impatience with Job's lengthy and seemingly irrational complaints, urging him to cease his words so they might speak. He challenges Job's perception of his friends as mere beasts, implying a lack of respect. Bildad then directly confronts Job, suggesting that Job's self-torment in anger will not alter the fundamental order of the world. The core of his speech is a comprehensive and stark depiction of the fate of the wicked, which he implicitly applies to Job's situation. He prophesies that the "light of the wicked" will be put out, their "spark" extinguished, and their "candle" darkened within their own dwelling. Their steps will be confined, and their own counsel will lead to their ruin, as they are caught in nets and snares of their own making. Bildad elaborates on the terrors that will surround them, driving them to despair, and how their strength will be consumed by hunger and destruction. He uses vivid imagery, stating that "the firstborn of death" will devour their strength, and their confidence will be uprooted, leading them to the "king of terrors." Furthermore, their habitation will be invaded by desolation, and "brimstone" will be scattered upon it, signifying utter destruction. Their lineage will be eradicated, with roots dried up and branches cut off, ensuring no remembrance remains on earth. The wicked will be driven from light into darkness, chased out of the world, leaving no son or nephew behind in their dwellings. Bildad concludes by asserting that future generations will be astonished by such a fate, confirming that these are indeed the consequences for the wicked and for those who "knoweth not God."