¹The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

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

²To know wisdom and instruction; To discern the words of understanding;

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

³To receive instruction in wise dealing, In righteousness and justice and equity;

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

⁴To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion:

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

⁵That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels:

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

⁶To understand a proverb, and a figure, The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

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

⁷The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; [But] the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.

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

⁸My son, hear the instruction of thy father, And forsake 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 they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, And chains about thy neck.

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

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not.

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

¹¹If they say, Come with us, Let us lay wait for blood; Let us lurk privily 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:

¹²Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, And whole, as those that go down into 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:

¹³We shall find all precious substance; We shall 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:

¹⁴Thou shalt cast thy lot among us; We will all have one purse:

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

¹⁵My son, walk not thou in the way with them; Refrain 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 run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood.

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

¹⁷For in vain is the net spread In the sight of any bird:

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

¹⁸And these lay wait for their own blood; They lurk privily 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 ways of every one that is greedy of gain; It taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

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

²⁰Wisdom crieth aloud in the street; She uttereth her voice in the broad places;

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

²¹She crieth in the chief place of concourse; At the entrance of the gates, In the city, she uttereth her words:

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;

²²How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And scoffers delight them in scoffing, And 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 you at my reproof: Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you; I will make known my words unto 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 have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man hath regarded;

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

²⁵But ye have set at nought all my counsel, And would none of my reproof:

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

²⁶I also will laugh in [the day of] your calamity; I will mock 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 a storm, And your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind; When distress and anguish come upon you.

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 will they call upon me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me:

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:

²⁹For that they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of Jehovah:

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

³⁰They would none of my counsel; They despised all my reproof.

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

³¹Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own devices.

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 backsliding of the simple shall slay them, And the careless ease of fools shall destroy 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.

³³But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, And shall be quiet without 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.