Job 8:5

But ¹  if you will look ²  to God, and make your supplication ³  to the Almighty,

But if you will look to God and plead with the Almighty,

"If you would seek God And implore the compassion of the Almighty,

But if you pray to God and seek the favor of the Almighty,

Here's what you must do--and don't put it off any longer: Get down on your knees before God Almighty.

If you will make search for God with care, and put your request before the Ruler of all;

If you will seek God and make supplication to the Almighty,

If you would earnestly seek God And make your supplication to the Almighty,

But ¹  if you will look ²  to God, and make your supplication ³  to the Almighty,

¹ tn “But” is supplied to show the contrast between this verse and the preceding line.

² tn The verb שִׁחַר (shikhar) means “to seek; to seek earnestly” (see 7:21). With the preposition אֶל (’el) the verb may carry the nuance of “to address; to have recourse to” (see E. Dhorme, Job, 114). The LXX connected it etymologically to “early” and read, “Be early in prayer to the Lord Almighty.”

³ tn The verb תִּתְחַנָּן (titkhannan) means “to make supplication; to seek favor; to seek grace” (from חָנַן, khanan). Bildad is saying that there is only one way for Job to escape the same fate as his children – he must implore God’s mercy. Job’s speech had spoken about God’s seeking him and not finding him; but Bildad is speaking of the importance of Job’s seeking God.