¹And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: —

¹¶ Na ka whakautu a Pirirara Huhi, ka mea,

²Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind — sayings of thy mouth?

²Kia pehea ake te roa o tau korero i enei mea? Kia pehea ake te roa o nga kupu a tou mangai e rite ai ki te hau kaha?

³Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?

³E whakaparori ke ranei te Atua i te whakawa? E whakaparori ke ranei te Kaha Rawa i te tika?

⁴If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,

⁴Ki te mea i hara au tamariki ki a ia, a kua maka atu ratou e ia hei utu mo to ratou he;

⁵If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,

⁵Ki te rapu wawe koe i to Atua, a ka inoi ki te Kaha Rawa;

⁶If pure and upright thou [art], Surely now He waketh for thee, And hath completed The habitation of thy righteousness.

⁶Ki te mea he ma koe, he tika, ina, ka ara ake ia ki a koe aianei, ka manaakitia ano e ia te nohoanga o tou tika.

⁷And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.

⁷Ahakoa i iti tou timatanga, e nui noa atu tou whakamutunga.

⁸For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,

⁸¶ Tena ra, ui atu ki to mua whakatupuranga; anga atu hoki ki te mea kua rapua e o ratou matua.

⁹(For of yesterday we [are], and we know not, For a shadow [are] our days on earth.)

⁹Nonanahi nei hoki tatou, kahore hoki e mohio; he atarangi nei hoki o tatou ra i runga i te whenua;

¹⁰Do they not shew thee — speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?

¹⁰E kore ranei ratou e whakaako i a koe, e korero ki a koe, e puaki mai ranei he kupu i o ratou ngakau?

¹¹`Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?

¹¹E tupu ranei te wiwi i te mea kahore he repo? E nui ranei te raupo ki te kahore he wai?

¹²While it [is] in its budding — uncropt, Even before any herb it withereth.

¹²I te mea he kaiota tonu, a kihai i tapahia, kua maroke i mua ake i nga otaota katoa.

¹³So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,

¹³Ka pera ano nga ara o te hunga katoa e wareware ana ki te Atua, a ka riro ki te kore ta te tangata whakaponokore i tumanako ai.

¹⁴Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.

¹⁴Ka motuhia atu tana i whakamanawa atu ai, ko te whare hoki o te pungawerewere hei tumanakohanga mona.

¹⁵He leaneth on his house — and it standeth not: He taketh hold on it — and it abideth not.

¹⁵Ka okioki atu ia ki tona whare; heoi e kore e tu: u tonu tana pupuri atu, otiia e kore e mau.

¹⁶Green he [is] before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.

¹⁶E matomato ana i te mea kahore nei te ra, a e wana ana ona peka i tana kari.

¹⁷By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.

¹⁷Kapi tonu te puranga i ona pakiaka, e kitea ana e ia te wahi kamaka.

¹⁸If [one] doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee!

¹⁸Ki te whakamotitia iho ia i tona wahi, ka whakakahore taua wahi ki a ia, ka mea, Kahore ahau i kite i a koe.

¹⁹Lo, this [is] the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.`

¹⁹Nana, ko te hari tenei o tona ara, a ka tupu ake etahi atu i roto i te puehu.

²⁰Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.

²⁰¶ Nana, e kore te Atua e whakakahore ki te tangata tika, e kore ano e puritia e ia te ringa o nga tangata kino.

²¹While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,

²¹Tera ano tou mangaika whakakiia e ia ki te kata, ou ngutu ki te hamama.

²²Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!

²²He whakama te kakahu mo te hunga e kino ana ki a koe, a ka kahore noa iho te tapenakara o te hunga kino.