¹Pray, call, is there any to answer thee? And unto which of the holy ones dost thou turn?

¹¶ Tena ra, karanga; ka whakao ranei tetahi ki a koe? a ka anga atu koe ki a wai o te hunga tapu?

²For provocation slayeth the perverse, And envy putteth to death the simple,

²E patua ana hoki te kuware e te aritarita, e whakamatea ana te whakaarokore e te hae.

³I — I have seen the perverse taking root, And I mark his habitation straightway,

³I kite ahau i te kuware e hou ana ona pakiaka; kitea rawatia ake kua kanga e ahau tona nohoanga.

⁴Far are his sons from safety, And they are bruised in the gate, And there is no deliverer.

⁴Kei tawhiti atu ana tama i te ora, mongamonga noa ratou i te kuwaha, kahore hoki he kaiwhakaora.

⁵Whose harvest the hungry doth eat, And even from the thorns taketh it, And the designing swallowed their wealth.

⁵Ko ana hua ka kainga e te tangata matekai, ka riro i a ia ahakoa i roto i te tataramoa, a ka hamama te mahanga ki o ratou rawa.

⁶For sorrow cometh not forth from the dust, Nor from the ground springeth up misery.

⁶¶ Na e kore te he e puta ake i te puehu, e kore ano te raruraru e tupu ake i te oneone;

⁷For man to misery is born, And the sparks go high to fly.

⁷I whanau te tangata ki te raruraru, tona rite kei nga korakora e rere nei whakarunga.

⁸Yet I — I inquire for God, And for God I give my word,

⁸Ko ahau ia ka rapu i ta te Atua; me tuku atu taku korero ki te Atua,

⁹Doing great things, and there is no searching. Wonderful, till there is no numbering.

⁹E mahi nei i nga mea nunui e kore nei e taea te rapu atu, i nga mea whakamiharo e kore nei e taea te tatau;

¹⁰Who is giving rain on the face of the land, And is sending waters on the out-places.

¹⁰E homai nei i te ua ki te mata o te whenua, e unga nei i te wai ki te mata o nga parae;

¹¹To set the low on a high place, And the mourners have been high [in] safety.

¹¹E whakanoho nei i te hunga iti ki te wahi tiketike, a whakanekehia ake ana te hunga pouri ki te ora.

¹²Making void thoughts of the subtile, And their hands do not execute wisdom.

¹²E haukoti nei i nga whakaaro o te hunga tinihanga, te taea e o ratou ringa ta ratou i mea ai.

¹³Capturing the wise in their subtilty, And the counsel of wrestling ones was hastened,

¹³Mau ake i a ia te hunga whakaaro i to ratou tinihanga: pororaru iho nga whakaaro o te hunga kotiti ke.

¹⁴By day they meet darkness, And as night — they grope at noon.

¹⁴I te awatea nei, tutaki ana ratou ki te pouri; whawha ana ratou i te poutumarotanga, ano ko te po.

¹⁵And He saveth the wasted from their mouth, And from a strong hand the needy,

¹⁵Otiia e whakaorangia ana e ia te rawakore i te hoari, i to ratou mangai, i te ringa ano o te tangata kaha.

¹⁶And there is hope to the poor, And perverseness hath shut her mouth.

¹⁶Ka ai ano he tumanakohanga atu mo te ware; kokopi tonu ia te mangai o te kino.

¹⁷Lo, the happiness of mortal man, God doth reprove him: And the chastisement of the Mighty despise not,

¹⁷¶ Nana, ka hari te tangata e akona ana e te Atua: na kaua e whakahawea ki te papaki a te Kaha Rawa.

¹⁸For He doth pain, and He bindeth up, He smiteth, and His hands heal.

¹⁸He whakamamae hoki tana, he takai ano; e patu ana ia, a ko ona ringa ano hei whakaora.

¹⁹In six distresses He delivereth thee, And in seven evil striketh not on thee.

¹⁹E ono nga matenga e whakaora ai ia i a koe; ahakoa e whitu, e kore te he e pa ki a koe.

²⁰In famine He hath redeemed thee from death, And in battle from the hands of the sword.

²⁰I te matekai ka hokona koe e ia kei mate; i te tatauranga ano, kei pangia e te hoari.

²¹When the tongue scourgeth thou art hid, And thou art not afraid of destruction, When it cometh.

²¹Ka huna koe i te whiu a te arero, e kore ano koe e wehi i te whakangaromanga ina tae mai.

²²At destruction and at hunger thou mockest, And of the beast of the earth, Thou art not afraid.

²²E kata ano koe ki te whakangaromanga raua ko te hemokai; e kore hoki koe e wehi i nga kirehe o te whenua.

²³(For with sons of the field [is] thy covenant, And the beast of the field Hath been at peace with thee.)

²³No te mea ka takoto tau kawenata ki nga kohatu o te parae; ka mau ano ta koutou rongo ko nga kirehe o te parae.

²⁴And thou hast known that thy tent [is] peace, And inspected thy habitation, and errest not,

²⁴Ka mohio ano koe e tu ana tou teneti i te aionuku, ka haereere ano koe ki tou nohoanga, te ai he hara.

²⁵And hast known that numerous [is] Thy seed, And thine offspring as the herb of the earth;

²⁵Ka mohio ano koe he nui ou uri, he pera ano tou whanau me te tarutaru o te whenua.

²⁶Thou comest in full age unto the grave, As the going up of a stalk in its season.

²⁶Ka ata rite ou tau ina tae koe ki te urupa, ka pera ano me te puranga witi e hikitia ake ana i tona wa e rite ai.

²⁷Lo, this — we searched it out — it [is] right, hearken; And thou, know for thyself!

²⁷Nana, tenei, he mea rapu na matou ko te mea tika hoki ia; whakarangona mai, ka mohio iho hei pai mou.