¹And Job answered and said,

¹¶ Na ka whakahoki a Hopa, ka mea,

²Of a truth I know it is so; but how can man be just with ùGod?

²E mohiotia ana ano tenei e ahau; engari ma te aha ka tika ai te tangata ki te Atua?

³If he shall choose to strive with him, he cannot answer him one thing of a thousand.

³Ki te pai ia ki te totohe ki a ia, kahore he kupu kotahi o roto i te mano e taea e ia te whakahoki ki a ia.

⁴He is wise in heart and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and had peace?

⁴He ngakau mohio ia, he pakari tona kaha: ko wai e whakauaua ki a ia, a e whiwhi i te pai?

⁵Who removeth mountains, and they know it not, when he overturneth them in his anger;

⁵E nekehia ana e ia nga maunga, te mohio ratou; hurihia ake e ia i a ia e riri ana.

⁶Who shaketh the earth out of its place, and the pillars thereof tremble;

⁶E whakangaueuetia ana e ia te whenua, e nekehia atu ana i tona wahi, wiri ana ona pou.

⁷Who commandeth the sun, and it riseth not, and he sealeth up the stars;

⁷E korero nei ki te ra, a kore ake e whiti; hiritia putia iho e ia nga whetu.

⁸Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the high waves of the sea;

⁸Ko ia nei anake hei hora i nga rangi, hei takahi i runga i nga ngaru o te moana.

⁹Who maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south;

⁹Nana nei i hanga a Aketura, a Tautoru, a Matariki, me nga ruma i te tonga.

¹⁰Who doeth great things past finding out, and wonders without number.

¹⁰Nana nei i mahi nga mea nunui, e kore nei e taea te rapu atu, ae ra nga mea whakamiharo, e kore nei e taea te tatau.

¹¹Lo, he goeth by me, and I see [him] not; and he passeth along, and I perceive him not.

¹¹Ina tonu ia e haere atu nei, a kahore ahau i kite; ka pahemo atu hoki ia, a kahore ahau e matau ki a ia.

¹²Behold, he taketh away: who will hinder him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou?

¹²Nana, ka hopu ia i tana i aru ai, ma wai ia e arai? Ko wai hei ki atu ki a ia, E aha ana koe?

¹³+God withdraweth not his anger; the proud helpers stoop under him:

¹³E kore te Atua e whakahoki iho i tona riri; e piko ana ki raro i a ia nga kaiawhina o Rahapa.

¹⁴How much less shall I answer him, choose out my words [to strive] with him?

¹⁴¶ A kia whakahoki kupu ano ahau ki a ia, kia whiriwhiri kupu ano maku ki a ia?

¹⁵Whom, though I were righteous, [yet] would I not answer; I would make supplication to my judge.

¹⁵Ahakoa he tika ahau, e kore ahau e whakahoki kupu atu; engari ka inoi ahau ki toku kaiwhakawa.

¹⁶If I had called, and he had answered me, I would not believe that he hearkened to my voice, --

¹⁶Me i karanga atu ahau, a whakahokia mai ai e ia te kupu ki ahau, kihai ahau i whakaae tera kua whakarongo mai ia ki toku reo.

¹⁷He, who crusheth me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.

¹⁷E aki ana hoki ia ia ahau ki te tupuhi, e whakanui takekore ana hoki i oku mate.

¹⁸He suffereth me not to take my breath, for he filleth me with bitternesses.

¹⁸Kahore ahau e tukua e ia kia ta toku manawa; otiia whakakiia ana e ia toku wairua ki te kawa.

¹⁹Be it a question of strength, lo, [he is] strong; and be it of judgment, who will set me a time?

¹⁹Ki te korero tatou mo te kaha o te hunga pakari, nana, kei reira ia! A ki te mea he whakawa, ko wai ra hei whakatakoto i te taima moku?

²⁰If I justified myself, mine own mouth would condemn me; were I perfect, he would prove me perverse.

²⁰Ahakoa he tika ahau, ma toku mangai ano ahau e whakahe; ahakoa he tikanga tapatahi taku, ma reira ano e whakaatu toku ngaunga ketanga.

²¹Were I perfect, [yet] would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.

²¹He tapatahi ahau; kahore ahau e whakaaro ki ahau ano; e whakahawea ana ahau ki toku ora.

²²It is all one; therefore I said, he destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

²²¶ He kotahi tonu ena; koia ahau ka mea, e whakamotitia ana e ia te tapatahi raua ko te kino.

²³If the scourge kill suddenly, he mocketh at the trial of the innocent.

²³Na ka whakamate tata nei te whiu, he kata tana ki te whakamatautauranga o te hunga harakore.

²⁴The earth is given over into the hand of the wicked [man]; he covereth the faces of its judges. If not, who then is it?

²⁴Kua hoatu te whenua ki te ringa o te tangata kino; e taupokina ana e ia nga mata o nga kaiwhakawa; ki te mea ehara i a ia, tena ko wai?

²⁵And my days are swifter than a runner: they flee away, they see no good.

²⁵¶ Na, ko te hohoro o oku ra, nui atu i to te kaikawe pukapuka; e rere ana, kahore hoki e kite i te pai.

²⁶They pass by like skiffs of reed; as an eagle that swoops upon the prey.

²⁶Kua pahemo, kua pera me nga kaipuke tere, me te ekara ano e topa iho ana ki tana kai.

²⁷If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my [sad] countenance, and brighten up,

²⁷Ki te mea ahau, ka wareware ahau ki taku tangi, ka unuhia atu e ahau te pouri o toku mata, a ka marama:

²⁸I am afraid of all my sorrows; I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.

²⁸E wehi ana ahau i oku mamae katoa, e mohio ana ahau e kore ahau e meinga e koe he harakore.

²⁹Be it that I am wicked, why then do I labour in vain?

²⁹Tera hoki ahau e whakahengia; he aha ahau i whakangenge kau ai i ahau?

³⁰If I washed myself with snow-water, and cleansed my hands in purity,

³⁰Ki te horoi ahau i ahau ki te hukarere, a ka meinga oku ringa kia ma rawa;

³¹Then wouldest thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes would abhor me.

³¹Katahi ahau ka rumakina e koe ki te poka, a whakarihariha mai ana oku kakahu ki ahau.

³²For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him; that we should come together in judgment.

³²Ehara hoki ia i te tangata, i te penei me ahau nei, e whakahoki kupu ai ahau ki a ia, e haere tahi ai maua ki te whakawa.

³³There is not an umpire between us, who should lay his hand upon us both.

³³Kahore he kaiwhakatikatika mo ta maua, kahore he tangata hei whakapa i tona ringa ki a maua tahi.

³⁴Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his terror make me afraid,

³⁴Me tango atu e ia tana patu i ahau, a kaua hoki tana whakamataku e whakawehi i ahau:

³⁵[Then] I will speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.

³⁵Hei reira ahau ka korero, a kahore e wehi i a ia; kahore hoki ahau e pera i roto i ahau.