¹¶ E taku tama, ki te tango koe i aku kupu, ki te huna i aku whakahau ki roto ki a koe;

¹My son, if thou dost accept my sayings, And my commands dost lay up with thee,

²A ka tahuri tou taringa ki te whakaaro nui, ka anga ano tou ngakau ki te matauranga;

²To cause thine ear to attend to wisdom, Thou inclinest thy heart to understanding,

³Ae ra, ki te mea ka karangarangatia e koe te matauranga, a ka puaki tou reo ki te ngakau mohio;

³For, if for intelligence thou callest, For understanding givest forth thy voice,

⁴Ki te rapua hoki ia e koe ano he hiriwa, ki te kimihia ano he taonga huna;

⁴If thou dost seek her as silver, And as hid treasures searchest for her,

⁵Ko reira koe matau ai ki te wehi o Ihowa, kite ai i te mohio ki te Atua.

⁵Then understandest thou fear of Jehovah, And knowledge of God thou findest.

⁶Ma Ihowa hoki e homai te whakaaro nui; no tona mangai te matauranga me te ngakau mohio.

⁶For Jehovah giveth wisdom, From His mouth knowledge and understanding.

⁷E rongoatia ana e ia te whakaaro nui ma te hunga tika; he whakangungu rakau ia mo te hunga he tapatahi nei te haere;

⁷Even to lay up for the upright substance, A shield for those walking uprightly.

⁸Kia tiakina ai e ia nga ara o te whakawa, kia tohungia ai te ara o tana hunga tapu.

⁸To keep the paths of judgment, And the way of His saints He preserveth.

⁹Ko reira koe mohio ai ki te tika, ki te whakawa, ki te mea ano e rite ana, ae ra, ki nga ara pai katoa.

⁹Then understandest thou righteousness, And judgment, and uprightness — every good path.

¹⁰¶ Ka uru hoki te whakaaro nui ki roto ki tou ngakau, a ka reka te matauranga ki tou wairua;

¹⁰For wisdom cometh into thy heart, And knowledge to thy soul is pleasant,

¹¹Ka ai te ngarahu pai hei tiaki i a koe, te ngakau mohio hei pupuri i a koe;

¹¹Thoughtfulness doth watch over thee, Understanding doth keep thee,

¹²Hei kukume mai i a koe i te ara o te kino, i te tangata e puta ke ana ana korero;

¹²To deliver thee from an evil way, From any speaking froward things,

¹³I te hunga e whakarere nei i nga ara o te tika, e haere ana i nga ara o te pouri;

¹³Who are forsaking paths of uprightness, To walk in ways of darkness,

¹⁴E koa ana, i a ratou e mahi ana i te kino, e hari ana ki nga tikanga parori ke o te kino;

¹⁴Who are rejoicing to do evil, They delight in frowardness of the wicked,

¹⁵He ara kopikopiko o ratou, he whanoke ratou i o ratou huarahi:

¹⁵Whose paths [are] crooked, Yea, they are perverted in their ways.

¹⁶Hei whakaora i a koe i te wahine tauhou, i te wahine tauhou e whakapati nei ki ana kupu;

¹⁶To deliver thee from the strange woman, From the stranger who hath made smooth her sayings,

¹⁷Kua whakarerea nei e ia te hoa o tona tamahinetanga, kua wareware ki te kawenata o tona Atua.

¹⁷Who is forsaking the guide of her youth, And the covenant of her God hath forgotten.

¹⁸E heke atu ana hoki tona whare ki te mate, ona ara ki nga tupapaku.

¹⁸For her house hath inclined unto death, And unto Rephaim her paths.

¹⁹Ko te hunga katoa e haere atu ana ki a ia e kore e hoki mai; e kore ano e mau i a ratou nga ara o te ora.

¹⁹None going in unto her turn back, Nor do they reach the paths of life.

²⁰A ka haere koe i nga ara o nga tangata pai, ka mau ano ki nga ara o te hunga tika.

²⁰That thou dost go in the way of the good, And the paths of the righteous dost keep.

²¹Ka noho hoki te hunga tika ki te whenua; ka mau te hunga ngakau tapatahi ki reira.

²¹For the upright do inhabit the earth, And the perfect are left in it,

²²Ka hatepea atu ia te hunga kino i runga i te whenua; ka hutia atu i reira te hunga he kopeka ta ratou mahi.

²²And the wicked from the earth are cut off, And treacherous dealers plucked out of it!