¹And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: —

¹¶ Na ka whakautua e Eripata Temani; i mea ia,

²Doth a wise man answer [with] vain knowledge? And fill [with] an east wind his belly?

²He horihori kau koia te matauranga e whakapuakina e te tangata whakaaro, kia whakakiia e ia tona kopu ki te hau marangai?

³To reason with a word not useful? And speeches — no profit in them?

³Me korero ranei ia ko nga kupu kore hua hei ako, ko nga whaikorero ranei kahore nei e whai tikanga?

⁴Yea, thou dost make reverence void, And dost diminish meditation before God.

⁴Ae, kua whakakorea atu na e koe te wehi, kei te pupuri mai koe i te inoi i te aroaro o te Atua.

⁵For thy mouth teacheth thine iniquity, And thou chooseth the tongue of the subtile.

⁵Na kei te whakaakona tou mangai e tou kino, a kei te whiriwhiria e koe ko te arero o te hunga tinihanga.

⁶Thy mouth declareth thee wicked, and not I, And thy lips testify against thee.

⁶Ehara i ahau, na tou mangai ano i hopu tou kino; ko ou ngutu ano hei whakaatu i tou he.

⁷The first man art thou born? And before the heights wast thou formed?

⁷Ko koe ianei te tangata tuatahi kua whanau? He mea hanga ranei koe no mua atu i nga pukepuke?

⁸Of the secret counsel of God dost thou hear? And withdrawest thou unto thee wisdom?

⁸Kua rongo ranei koe i to te Atua whakaaro puku? Kei te kaiponu ranei koe i te whakaaro ki a koe anake?

⁹What hast thou known, and we know not? Understandest thou — and it is not with us?

⁹Ko te aha te mohiotia ana e koe, a kahore e mohiotia e matou? Ko tehea whakaaro ano hoki ou kahore nei i a matou?

¹⁰Both the gray-headed And the very aged [are] among us — Greater than thy father [in] days.

¹⁰Kei a matou nga upoko hina ratou tahi ko nga tino koroheke, kaumatua rawa ake i tou papa.

¹¹Too few for thee are the comforts of God? And a gentle word [is] with thee,

¹¹He iti rawa ranei mou nga whakamarie a te Atua, te kupu ngawari e hoatu ana ki a koe?

¹²What — doth thine heart take thee away? And what — are thine eyes high?

¹²He aha koe i kahakina atu ai e tou ngakau? He aha hoki ou kanohi i kimokimo ai,

¹³For thou turnest against God thy spirit? And hast brought out words from thy mouth:

¹³I tahuri ai tou wairua ki te whakahe i te Atua? i puaki ai ena kupu i tou mangai?

¹⁴What [is] man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?

¹⁴He aha te tangata, e ma ai ia? te whanau ranei a te wahine, e tika ai?

¹⁵Lo, in His holy ones He putteth no credence, And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.

¹⁵Nana, kahore ia e whakawhirinaki ki ana mea tapu; kahore hoki nga rangi e ma ki tana titiro.

¹⁶Also — surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking as water perverseness.

¹⁶Katahi ia te he rawa ko te mea whakarihariha, ko te mea poke, ko te tangata e inu nei i te kino ano he wai.

¹⁷I shew thee — hearken to me — And this I have seen and declare:

¹⁷¶ Maku e whakaatu ki a koe, whakarongo mai ki ahau; ko te mea kua kitea e ahau, maku e korero atu.

¹⁸Which the wise declare — And have not hid — from their fathers.

¹⁸He mea korero mai na nga mohio, he whakarerenga iho na o ratou matua: kihai hoki i huna e ratou:

¹⁹To them alone was the land given, And a stranger passed not over into their midst:

¹⁹Ki a ratou nei anake te homaitanga o te whenua; kihai hoki te tangata ke i tika i waenganui i a ratou.

²⁰`All days of the wicked he is paining himself, And few years have been laid up for the terrible one.

²⁰E whakamamae ana te tangata kino i ona ra katoa, ara i te maha o nga tau e haupu nei mo te kaitukino.

²¹A fearful voice [is] in his ears, In peace doth a destroyer come to him.

²¹He reo whakawehi kei roto i ona taringa; i te wa whai rawa ka tae mai te kaipahua ki a ia:

²²He believeth not to return from darkness, And watched [is] he for the sword.

²²Kahore ana whakaaetanga ake tera ia ka hoki ake i te pouri, e whanga ana ano hoki te hoari ki a ia.

²³He is wandering for bread — `Where [is] it?` He hath known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.

²³E kopikopiko noa ana ia ki te taro mana, e mea ana: Kei hea ra? E mohio ana ia kua tata ki tona ringa te ra o te pouri.

²⁴Terrify him do adversity and distress, They prevail over him As a king ready for a boaster.

²⁴Ko te ngakau mamae, me te tumatatenga, hei whakawehi i a ia; ka kaha ake raua i a ia, me te mea he kingi kua rite ana mea mo te whawhai.

²⁵For he stretched out against God his hand, And against the Mighty he maketh himself mighty.

²⁵Kua totoro nei ona ringa ki te whawhai ki te Atua, kua whakatoatoa nei i a ia ki te whawhai ki te Kaha Rawa;

²⁶He runneth unto Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.

²⁶Kua rere ki a ia me te kaki maro, me nga puku matotoru o ana whakangungu rakau.

²⁷For he hath covered his face with his fat, And maketh vigour over [his] confidence.

²⁷Kua kopakina hoki tona mata e tona ngako, a kua tupu te ngako o tona hope.

²⁸And he inhabiteth cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.

²⁸Na i noho ia ki nga pa mahue, ki nga whare kahore i nohoia e te tangata, meake nei waiho hei puranga.

²⁹He is not rich, nor doth his wealth rise, Nor doth he stretch out on earth their continuance.

²⁹E kore ia e whai taonga, e kore ano ona rawa e mau, e kore ano hoki to ratou hua e taupe ki te whenua.

³⁰He turneth not aside from darkness, His tender branch doth a flame dry up, And he turneth aside at the breath of His mouth!

³⁰E kore ia e puta i te pouri, ona peka ka maroke i te mura, ka riro atu ano ia i te manawa o tona mangai.

³¹Let him not put credence in vanity, He hath been deceived, For vanity is his recompence.

³¹Kei whakawhirinaki ia ki te mea teka noa, kei tinihanga ki a ia ano: no te mea ko te teka noa hei utu ki a ia.

³²Not in his day is it completed, And his bending branch is not green.

³²E kore tona ra e taea, kua rite; e kore ano tona peka e whai rau.

³³He shaketh off as a vine his unripe fruit, And casteth off as an olive his blossom.

³³Ka ruiruia e ia ana karepe kaiota ano ko te waina, a ka maka tana puawai me te mea ko te oriwa.

³⁴For the company of the profane [is] gloomy, And fire hath consumed tents of bribery.

³⁴Ka pakoko hoki te whakaminenga o te hunga atuakore, ka pau hoki i te ahi nga teneti o nga utu whakapati.

³⁵To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart doth prepare deceit.

³⁵He mahi nanakia te mea i hapu ki roto ki a ratou, whanau ake he teka noa; ko o ratou kopu ano hei hanga i te tinihanga.