¹¶ Kua oti taku kawenata ki oku kanohi; kia whakaaroaro ahau hei aha ki te kotiro?

¹A covenant I made for mine eyes, And what — do I attend to a virgin?

²He aha ta te Atua wahi e tuwha mai ai i runga? He aha ta te Kaha Rawa taonga tupu i te wahi tiketike?

²And what [is] the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights?

³He teka ianei he whakangaromanga mo te tangata kino? he whiu mo nga kaimahi o te he?

³Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?

⁴He teka ianei e kitea ana e ia oku ara, e taua ana e ia oku hikoinga katoa?

⁴Doth not He see my ways, And all my steps number?

⁵Ki te mea i haere ahau i runga i te tekateka noa, a i hohoro toku waewae ki te tinihanga;

⁵If I have walked with vanity, And my foot doth hasten to deceit,

⁶Kia paunatia ahau i runga i te pauna tika, kia mohio ai te Atua ki toku tapatahi:

⁶He doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my integrity.

⁷Ki te mea i kotiti ke toku hikoinga i te ara, a i whai toku ngakau i oku kanohi; a ki te mea i mau te tongi ki oku ringa;

⁷If my step doth turn aside from the way, And after mine eyes hath my heart gone, And to my hands cleaved hath blemish,

⁸Kati, ko ahau hei whakato, a ma tetahi atu e kai; ae ra, tukua nga hua o taku mara kia hutia atu.

⁸Let me sow — and another eat, And my products let be rooted out.

⁹¶ Ki te mea i whakawairangitia toku ngakau e te wahine, a i whanga ahau i te tatau o toku hoa;

⁹If my heart hath been enticed by woman, And by the opening of my neighbour I laid wait,

¹⁰Heoi kia huri paraoa taku wahine ma tetahi atu, kia piko iho ano hoki nga tangata ke ki runga i a ia.

¹⁰Grind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend.

¹¹He kino rawa hoki tera; ae ra, he he e tika ana kia whiua e nga kaiwhakawa:

¹¹For it [is] a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;

¹²He ahi hoki tera e kai ana ki te whakangaromanga rawa, poto noa aku hua katoa.

¹²For a fire it [is], to destruction it consumeth, And among all mine increase doth take root,

¹³Ki te mea i whakahaweatia e ahau te whakawa a taku pononga tane, a taku pononga wahine, i a raua e totohe ana ki ahau;

¹³If I despise the cause of my man-servant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,

¹⁴Ka pehea ra ahau ina whakatika te Atua? He aha taku kupu e whakahoki ai ki a ia ina tae mai ia ki te titiro?

¹⁴Then what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do I answer Him?

¹⁵He teka ranei na toku kaihanga ia i hanga i roto i te kopu? a nana, na te kotahi, i whai ahua ai maua i roto i te puku?

¹⁵Did not He that made me in the womb make him? Yea, prepare us in the womb doth One.

¹⁶¶ Ki te mea i kaiponuhia e ahau ta nga rawakore i hiahia ai, a meinga ana e ahau nga kanohi o te pouaru kia pau i te minamina;

¹⁶If I withhold from pleasure the poor, And the eyes of the widow do consume,

¹⁷Ki te mea ranei i kainga taku maramara e toku kotahi, a kihai te pani i kai i tetahi wahi;

¹⁷And I do eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan hath not eat of it,

¹⁸He mea whakatupu ia naku no toku taitamarikitanga ra ano me te mea ko tona papa ahau: ko te pouaru he mea arahi naku no te kopu ra ano o toku whaea;

¹⁸(But from my youth He grew up with me as [with] a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led.)

¹⁹Ki te mea i kite ahau i tetahi e tata ana ki te mate, he kore no te kakahu, a kahore he uhi mo te rawakore;

¹⁹If I see [any] perishing without clothing, And there is no covering to the needy,

²⁰Ki te mea kihai tona hope i whakapai ki ahau, a kihai ia i mahana i nga huruhuru o taku kahui:

²⁰If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He doth not warm himself,

²¹Ki te mea i ara toku ringa hei pehi i te pani, i toku kitenga he awina tera moku kei te kuwaha;

²¹If I have waved at the fatherless my hand, When I see in [him] the gate of my court,

²²Na kia marere atu toku pokohiwi i roto i te peke, kia whati te takakau o toku ringa.

²²My shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the bone be broken.

²³Ko te whiu hoki a te Atua taku i wehi ai; kihai hoki i taea e ahau te aha i tona nui.

²³For a dread unto me [is] calamity [from] God, And because of His excellency I am not able.

²⁴¶ Ki te mea i u toku whakaaro ki te koura, a i mea ahau ki te koura parakore, Ko koe taku e whakawhirinaki atu ai;

²⁴If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, `My trust,`

²⁵Ki te mea i koa ahau ki te maha o oku rawa, a ki te nui o ta toku ringa i whiwhi ai;

²⁵If I rejoice because great [is] my wealth, And because abundance hath my hand found,

²⁶Ki te mea i kite ahau i te ra e whiti ana, i te marama ranei e haere ana i tona tiahotanga;

²⁶If I see the light when it shineth, And the precious moon walking,

²⁷A ka kumea pukutia atu toku ngakau, ka kihia toku ringa e toku mangai:

²⁷And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand doth kiss my mouth,

²⁸Na he kino tenei hei whiunga ma nga kaiwhakawa: he teka hoki naku ki te Atua i runga.

²⁸It also [is] a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.

²⁹Ki te mea i koa ahau ki te whakangaromanga o te tangata i kino ki ahau, i whakaara ake ranei i ahau i te panga o te he ki a ia;

²⁹If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him,

³⁰Ae, kihai ahau i tuku i toku mangai kia hara, kihai i whai kia kanga tona wairua;

³⁰Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.

³¹Ki te mea kahore nga tangata o toku teneti i mea, Tena koa te tangata kihai nei i makona i tona kikokiko?

³¹If not — say ye, O men of my tent, `O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.`

³²Kihai te manene i moe i waho; i whakatuwheratia ano e ahau oku tatau ki te tangata haere;

³²In the street doth not lodge a stranger, My doors to the traveller I open.

³³¶ Ki te mea i pera ahau me Arama, i hipoki i oku he, i huna i toku kino ki roto ki toku uma;

³³If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity,

³⁴I wehi hoki ahau i te huihui nui, i mataku ki te whakahawea a nga hapu, a whakarongo kau ana, kihai hoki i puta ki waho

³⁴Because I fear a great multitude, And the contempt of families doth affright me, Then I am silent, I go not out of the opening.

³⁵Aue, me i whakarongo mai tetahi ki ahau! Nana, tenei taku tohu, ma te Kaha Rawa e whakahoki mai he kupu ki ahau; me i ahau noa te pukapuka i tuhituhia e toku hoariri!

³⁵Who giveth to me a hearing? lo, my mark. The Mighty One doth answer me, And a bill hath mine adversary written.

³⁶Ina, kua amohia e ahau i runga i toku pokohiwi; kua herea e ahau hei karauna moku.

³⁶If not — on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it a crown on myself.

³⁷Kua whakaaturia e ahau ki a ia te maha o oku hikoinga; rite tonu ki ta te rangatira taku whakatata atu ki a ia.

³⁷The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.

³⁸Ki te tangi taku oneone, he whakahe ki ahau, ki te uru ano ona moa ki te aue,

³⁸If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep,

³⁹Ki te mea i kainga e ahau ona hua, he mea kihai i utua, a naku ranei ona ariki i mate ai,

³⁹If its strength I consumed without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out,

⁴⁰Na, kia riro pu te witi i te tataramoa, te parei i te taru kino. Heoi ano nga korero a Hopa.

⁴⁰Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished.