¹¶ Nana, kua kitea katoatia tenei e toku kanohi, kua rongo toku taringa, kua mohio.

¹Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it.

²Ko ta koutou e mohio na, ko taku ano tena e mohio nei: kahore hoki ahau i hoki iho i a koutou.

²What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you.

³Ina, e whai kupu ano ahau ki te Kaha Rawa: a e hiahia ana ki te korerorero ki te Atua.

³Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.

⁴Ko koutou ia, he hunga tito i te teka, he rata horihori noa koutou katoa.

⁴But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

⁵Te pai na, me i mutu rawa a koutou korero! Ko to koutou whakaaro nui hoki tena.

⁵O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.

⁶Tena ra, whakarongo mai ki taku tautohe, maharatia nga whawhai a oku ngutu.

⁶Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.

⁷Me tautoko ta te Atua ki te kupu kino? me tautoko ranei tana ki te tinihanga?

⁷Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?

⁸Ka whakapai kanohi koia koutou ki a ia? Ma koutou ranei ta te Atua tautohe?

⁸Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?

⁹He pai ranei kia rapua ta koutou e ia? E maminga ranei koutou ki a ia, e pera me tetahi ka maminga nei ki te tangata?

⁹Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?

¹⁰He pono ka whakahe ia ki a koutou ki te whakapai puku koutou i te kanohi.

¹⁰He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons.

¹¹E kore ranei koutou e mataku ki tona nui? E kore ranei te wehi ki a ia e tau ki a koutou?

¹¹Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you?

¹²Ko a koutou pepeha nunui he whakatauki no te pungarehu, ko o koutou parepare he parepare paru.

¹²Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.

¹³¶ Kati te korero, waiho noa iho ahau, kia korero ai ahau, ahakoa pa mai te aha ki ahau.

¹³Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will.

¹⁴He aha oku kikokiko i ngaua ai e oku niho? He aha toku wairua i waiho ai e ahau i roto i toku ringa?

¹⁴Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand?

¹⁵Ahakoa whakamate noa ia i ahau, ka tatari tonu ahau ki a ia: otiia ka mau tonu ahau ki oku ara i tona aroaro.

¹⁵Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

¹⁶Ko tenei hoki hei oranga moku; e kore hoki te tangata atuakore e tae mai ki tona aroaro.

¹⁶He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.

¹⁷Ata whakarongo ki aku korero: kia anga mai o koutou taringa ki taku e whakapuaki nei.

¹⁷Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.

¹⁸Na kua takoto taku mo te whakawa; e mohio ana ahau he tika ahau.

¹⁸Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.

¹⁹Ko wai ia hei totohe ki ahau? Ka whakarongo puku hoki ahau aianei, a ka hemo ahau.

¹⁹Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.

²⁰Engari kaua nga mea e rua e meatia mai ki ahau; katahi ahau ka kore e huna i ahau i tou mata.

²⁰Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee.

²¹Kia matara atu tou ringa ki tawhiti i ahau; a kaua ahau e whakawehia e te mataku ki a koe.

²¹Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.

²²Ko reira, mau e karanga, a maku e whakao atu; maku ranei e korero, a mau e whakahoki kupu mai ki ahau.

²²Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.

²³¶ Ka hia ra oku kino, oku hara? Meinga ahau kia matau ki toku he me toku hara.

²³How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.

²⁴He aha tou mata i huna ai e koe? He aha ahau i kiia ai e koe he hoariri?

²⁴Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy?

²⁵E kapokapohia ranei e koe te pakawha e puhia haeretia ana? E whaia ranei e koe te papapa maroke?

²⁵Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?

²⁶Kei te tuhituhi na hoki koe i nga mea kawa moku, e mea ana hoki kia riro mai i ahau nga he o toku taitamarikitanga.

²⁶For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.

²⁷Karapitia iho e koe oku waewae ki te rakau, he mea tohu nau oku ara katoa, a he mea tuhi nau oku takahanga waewae tawhio noa:

²⁷Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet.

²⁸Ahakoa toku rite kei te mea pirau, e memeha noa ana, kei te kakahu e kainga ana e te purehurehu.

²⁸And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment that is moth eaten.