¹¶ Ano ra ko Eripata Temani; i mea ia,

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

²E whai pai ano ranei te Atua i te tangata? He pono e whai pai te tangata i a ia ano ki te mea he ngakau mohio tona.

²Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?

³He oranga ngakau ranei ki te Kaha Rawa tou tika? Hei taonga ranei ki a ia, ki te meinga e koe ou ara kia tino tika?

³Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?

⁴He wehi ranei nou i a ia i whakahe ai ia i a koe, i whakawa ai i a koe?

⁴Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?

⁵¶ He teka ianei he nui tou he? Kahore hoki he pito whakamutunga o ou kino.

⁵Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?

⁶I tangohia noatia hoki e koe nga mea a tou teina hei taunaha, huia ana e koe nga kakahu o te hunga e noho tahanga ana.

⁶For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.

⁷Kihai i whakainumia e koe ki te wai te hunga ngenge; kaiponuhia ana e koe he taro ki te hunga e matekai ana.

⁷Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.

⁸Ko te tangata marohirohi, i a ia te whenua; ko te tangata honore, noho ana ia i reira.

⁸But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.

⁹Ko nga pouaru, unga rawakoretia atu ana e koe, whatiwhatiia ana nga ringa o nga pani.

⁹Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.

¹⁰Na reira karapotia putia ana koe e nga mahanga, raruraru ana koe i te wehi pa whakarere;

¹⁰Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;

¹¹I te pouri ranei, e kore ai koe e kite; a nui atu te wai e taupoki na i a koe.

¹¹Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.

¹²He teka ianei kei te wahi tiketike o te rangi te Atua? Tirohia atu ano hoki a runga o nga whetu, to ratou teitei!

¹²Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!

¹³A e mea na koe, He aha ta te Atua e mohio ai? E puta mai ranei tana whakawa i roto i te kapua pouri?

¹³And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?

¹⁴Ko tona wahi ngaro ko nga kapua matotoru, te kite ia; kei te taiawhio ano ia i nga rangi.

¹⁴Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.

¹⁵¶ Ka mau tonu ranei koe ki te ara o mua, i haerea ra e nga tangata kikino?

¹⁵Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?

¹⁶I kapohia atu nei i te mea kahore ano i rite o ratou ra; tahoroa ana to ratou turanga ano he awa:

¹⁶Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:

¹⁷I mea nei ki te Atua, Mawehe atu i a matou; a, He aha e taea e te Kaha Rawa mo matou?

¹⁷Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?

¹⁸Heoi i whakakiia e ia o ratou whare ki nga mea papai: ko te whakaaro ia o te hunga kino e matara atu ana i ahau.

¹⁸Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁹E kite ana te hunga tika, a koa ana: kataina iho ratou e te hunga harakore:

¹⁹The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.

²⁰Me te ki, He pono kua haukotia te hunga i tahuri mai ki a tatou, pau ake i te ahi te toenga o ratou.

²⁰Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.

²¹¶ Waiho ia hei hoa mou, katahi koe ka ata noho; ma reira ka tae mai ai te pai ki a koe.

²¹Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

²²Tahuri mai ra ki te ture a tona mangai, rongoatia hoki ana kupu ki roto ki tou ngakau.

²²Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.

²³Ki te hoki koe ki te Kaha Rawa, tera koe e hanga; ki te nekehia atu e koe te kino kia mamao i ou teneti.

²³If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

²⁴A ka whakapuranga koe i tau taonga ki te puehu, te koura o Opira ki waenga i nga kohatu o nga awa;

²⁴Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

²⁵A ko te Kaha Rawa hei taonga mou, hei hiriwa utu nui ki a koe.

²⁵Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

²⁶Ko reira hoki koe ahuareka ai ki te Kaha Rawa, a ka ara ake tou mata ki te Atua.

²⁶For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.

²⁷Ka inoi ano koe ki a ia, a ka whakarongo mai ia ki a koe; ka whakamana ano e koe au kupu taurangi.

²⁷Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.

²⁸Ka whakatakotoria hoki e koe he tikanga, a ka whakapumautia ki a koe; ka whiti ano te marama ki runga ki ou ara.

²⁸Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

²⁹Ki te maka koe e ratou ki raro, ka ki koe, Tenei ano he whakaarahanga ake; ka whakaorangia ano e ia te ngakau whakaiti.

²⁹When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

³⁰Ka whakaorangia e ia te tangata ahakoa ehara i te harakore: ae ra, ka whakaorangia ia e te ma o ou ringa.

³⁰He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.