¹Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

¹¶ Ko nga whakatauki a Horomona tama a Rawiri, kingi o Iharaira;

²For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,

²E mohiotia ai te whakaaro nui, te ako; e kitea ai nga kupu o te matauranga;

³For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,

³E riro mai ai te ako a te ngakau mahara, te tika, te whakawa, te mea ano e rite ana;

⁴For giving to simple ones — prudence, To a youth — knowledge and discretion.

⁴Hei hoatu i te ngakau tupato ki nga kuware, i te matauranga, i te ngarahu pai ki te taitamariki;

⁵(The wise doth hear and increaseth learning, And the intelligent doth obtain counsels.)

⁵Kia whakarongo ai te tangata whakaaro nui, kia nui ake ai tona mohio; kia whiwhi ai te tangata tupato ki nga whakaaro mohio:

⁶For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.

⁶E mohio ai ia ki te whakatauki, ki te kupu whakarite, ki nga kupu a nga whakaaro nui, ki a ratou korero whakapeka.

⁷Fear of Jehovah [is] a beginning of knowledge, Wisdom and instruction fools have despised!

⁷¶ Ko te wehi ki a Ihowa te timatanga o te matauranga; e whakahawea ana te whakaarokore ki te whakaaro nui, ki te ako.

⁸Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother,

⁸Whakarongo, e taku tama, ki te ako a tou papa, kaua hoki e whakarerea te ture a tou whaea;

⁹For a graceful wreath [are] they to thy head, And chains to thy neck.

⁹Ka waiho hoki ena hei pare ataahua mo tou matenga, hei mekameka whakapaipai mo tou kaki.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice thee be not willing.

¹⁰¶ E taku tama, ki te whakawaia koe e te hunga hara, kaua e whakaae.

¹¹If they say, `Come with us, we lay wait for blood, We watch secretly for the innocent without cause,

¹¹Ki te mea ratou, Tatou ka haere, ka whakapapa atu, ka whakaheke toto; kia whanga puku tatou, he mea takekore, mo te tangata harakore:

¹²We swallow them as Sheol — alive, And whole — as those going down [to] the pit,

¹²Horomia oratia ratou e tatou, peratia me ta te rua tupapaku; ka riro tinana ratou, ka pera me te hunga e heke atu ana ki te poka:

¹³Every precious substance we find, We fill our houses [with] spoil,

¹³Ka kitea e tatou nga taonga utu nui katoa, ka whakakiia o tatou whare ki ta tatou e pahua ai:

¹⁴Thy lot thou dost cast among us, One purse is — to all of us.`

¹⁴Maka mai tou wahi ki roto ki to matou; kia kotahi te putea ma tatou katoa.

¹⁵My son! go not in the way with them, Withhold thy foot from their path,

¹⁵E taku tama, kaua e haere tahi i te ara me ratou; kaiponuhia tou waewae i to ratou huarahi;

¹⁶For their feet to evil do run, And they haste to shed blood.

¹⁶E rere ana hoki o ratou waewae ki te kino, e hohoro ana ratou ki te whakaheke toto.

¹⁷Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.

¹⁷He maumau hoki te hora o te kupenga ki te tirohanga a tetahi manu.

¹⁸And they for their own blood lay wait, They watch secretly for their own lives.

¹⁸Ko ratou, he whakaheke i o ratou toto ano i whakapapa ai ratou; he whakamate i a ratou ano i piri ai ratou.

¹⁹So [are] the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, The life of its owners it taketh.

¹⁹Ka pena nga huarahi o te hunga apo taonga; ko te ora ano o ona rangatira e tangohia.

²⁰Wisdom in an out-place crieth aloud, In broad places she giveth forth her voice,

²⁰¶ E hamama ana te whakaaro nui i te huarahi; e puaki ana tona reo i nga waharoa;

²¹At the head of the multitudes she calleth, In the openings of the gates, In the city her sayings she saith:

²¹E karanga ana ia i te tino wahi whakaminenga; i te wahi tuwhera o nga kuwaha, i roto i te pa, e puaki ana ana kupu;

²²`Till when, ye simple, do ye love simplicity? And have scorners their scorning desired? And do fools hate knowledge?

²²E te hunga kuware, kia pehea ake te roa o to koutou aroha ki te kuwaretanga? O te hiahia ranei o te hunga whakahi ki to ratou whakahi? O te whakakino ranei a te hunga wairangi ki te matauranga?

²³Turn back at my reproof, lo, I pour forth to you my spirit, I make known my words with you.

²³Tahuri mai ki taku ako: na ka ringihia e ahau toku wairua ki a koutou, ka whakaaturia aku kupu ki a koutou.

²⁴Because I have called, and ye refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,

²⁴I karanga atu hoki ahau, heoi kihai koutou i pai mai; i totoro atu toku ringa, a kihai tetahi i whai whakaaro mai;

²⁵And ye slight all my counsel, And my reproof ye have not desired.

²⁵Heoi whakakahoretia iho e koutou toku whakaaro katoa, kihai hoki i aro ki taku ako:

²⁶I also in your calamity do laugh, I deride when your fear cometh,

²⁶Mo reira ka kata ahau i te ra o to koutou aitua; ka tawai ina pa te pawera ki a koutou.

²⁷When your fear cometh as destruction, And your calamity as a hurricane doth come, When on you come adversity and distress.

²⁷Ina tae mai to koutou pawera ano he tupuhi, a ka pa mai to koutou aitua ano he paroro; ina tae mai te pouri me te ngakau mamae ki a koutou.

²⁸Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and find me not.

²⁸Ko reira ratou karanga ai ki ahau, a e kore ahau e whakahoki kupu atu; ka rapu nui ratou i ahau, otiia e kore ahau e kitea e ratou:

²⁹Because that they have hated knowledge, And the fear of Jehovah have not chosen.

²⁹Mo ratou i kino ki te matauranga; kihai hoki i whiriwhiria e ratou te wehi ki a Ihowa;

³⁰They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,

³⁰Kihai i aro mai ki oku whakaaro; whakahawea ana ratou ki taku kupu riri katoa.

³¹And they eat of the fruit of their way, And from their own counsels they are filled.

³¹Na reira ka kai ratou i nga hua o to ratou nei ara, ka whakakiia ano hoki ki nga mea i titoa e ratou.

³²For the turning of the simple slayeth them, And the security of the foolish destroyeth them.

³²Ko te tahuritanga atu hoki o nga kuware hei patu i a ratou; ko te ngakau warea ano hoki o nga wairangi hei huna i a ratou.

³³And whoso is hearkening to me dwelleth confidently, And [is] quiet from fear of evil!`

³³Ko te tangata ia e rongo ana ki ahau, ka au tona noho, ka tea hoki i te wehi ki te kino.