¹¶ Ko nga kupu a Akuru tama a Iakehe; ko te poropititanga. I korero taua tangata ki a Itiere, ki a Itiere raua ko Ukara,

¹Words of a Gatherer, son of an obedient one, the declaration, an affirmation of the man: — I have wearied myself [for] God, I have wearied myself [for] God, and am consumed.

²He pono ko ahau te mea poauau rawa o nga tangata, kahore hoki he matauranga tangata i roto i ahau.

²For I am more brutish than any one, And have not the understanding of a man.

³Kihai hoki ahau i whakaakona ki te whakaaro nui, kihai ano i mohio ki te Mea Tapu.

³Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet the knowledge of Holy Ones I know.

⁴Ko wai kua piki atu ki te rangi, a heke mai ai ano? Ko wai kua pupu i te hau ki roto ki ona ringa? Na wai i takai nga wai ki roto ki tona kakahu? Na wai i whakapumau nga pito katoa o te whenua? Ko wai tona ingoa, a ko wai hoki te ingoa o tana tam a, ki te mohiotia e koe?

⁴Who went up to heaven, and cometh down? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound waters in a garment? Who established all ends of the earth? What [is] His name? and what His son`s name? Surely thou knowest!

⁵Ko nga kupu katoa a te Atua he mea whakamatau: he whakangungu rakau ia ki te hunga katoa e whakawhirinaki ana ki a ia.

⁵Every saying of God [is] tried, A shield He [is] to those trusting in Him.

⁶Kaua e tapiritia etahi kupu ki ana, kei riria e ia tou he, a ka kitea koe he tangata korero teka.

⁶Add not to His words, lest He reason with thee, And thou hast been found false.

⁷¶ E rua nga mea kua inoia e ahau i a koe; kaua ena e kaiponuhia i ahau i mua i toku matenga;

⁷Two things I have asked from Thee, Withhold not from me before I die.

⁸Whakamataratia atu i ahau te horihori me te korero teka; kaua e homai te rawakore ki ahau, te taonga ranei; whangaia ahau ki te kai e rite ana maku:

⁸Vanity and a lying word put far from me, Poverty or wealth give not to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion,

⁹Kei makona ahau, a ka whakakahore ki a koe, ka mea, Ko wai a Ihowa? Kei rawakore ranei ahau, a ka whanako, ka whakahua noa hoki i te ingoa o toku Atua.

⁹Lest I become satiated, and have denied, And have said, `Who [is] Jehovah?` And lest I be poor, and have stolen, And have laid hold of the name of my God.

¹⁰¶ Kaua e korerotia te pononga ki tona ariki, kei kanga ia i a koe, a ko koe e he.

¹⁰Accuse not a servant unto his lord, Lest he disesteem thee, and thou be found guilty.

¹¹Tera te whakatupuranga, he kanga ta ratou i to ratou papa, kahore hoki e manaaki i to ratou whaea.

¹¹A generation [is], that lightly esteemeth their father, And their mother doth not bless.

¹²Tera te whakatupuranga, he ma ki ta ratou na titiro, otira kahore ano kia horoia atu to ratou paru.

¹²A generation — pure in their own eyes, But from their own filth not washed.

¹³Tera te whakatupuranga, Na, te whakakake o o ratou kanohi! Kua whakarewaina ake hoki o ratou kamo.

¹³A generation — how high are their eyes, Yea, their eyelids are lifted up.

¹⁴Tera te whakatupuranga, ko o ratou niho ano he hoari, ko o ratou niho purakau ano he maripi, hei horo i te hunga iti i runga i te whenua, i nga rawakore hoki i roto i nga tangata.

¹⁴A generation — swords [are] their teeth, And knives — their jaw-teeth, To consume the poor from earth, And the needy from [among] men.

¹⁵¶ E rua nga tamahine a te ngate, ko ta raua karanga, Homai, homa. E toru nga mea e kore rawa e makona, ae ra, e wha nga mea e kore e ki, Kati:

¹⁵To the leech [are] two daughters, `Give, give, Lo, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said `Sufficiency;`

¹⁶Ko te rua tupapaku; ko te kopu pakoko; ko te whenua kihai i pukuwaitia; a ko te ahi e kore nei e ki, Kati.

¹⁶Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth — it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire — it hath not said, `Sufficiency,`

¹⁷Ko te kanohi e whakahi ana ki te papa, e whakahawea ana ki te whakarongo ki tona whaea, ma nga raweni o te awaawa ia e tikaro, a ma nga pi ekara e kai.

¹⁷An eye that mocketh at a father, And despiseth to obey a mother, Dig it out do ravens of the valley, And eat it do young eagles.

¹⁸¶ E toru nga mea he whakamiharo rawa, e kore e taea e ahau, ae ra, e wha kahore e mohiotia e ahau:

¹⁸Three things have been too wonderful for me, Yea, four that I have not known:

¹⁹Ko te huarahi o te ekara i te rangi; ko te huarahi o te nakahi i runga i te kamaka; ko te huarahi o te kaipuke i waenga moana; a ko te huarahi o te tangata ki te kotiro.

¹⁹The way of the eagle in the heavens, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the heart of the sea, And the way of a man in youth.

²⁰He pera ano te huarahi o te wahine puremu; ka kai ia, a ka horoi i tona mangai, a ka ki, Kahore aku mahi he.

²⁰So — the way of an adulterous woman, She hath eaten and hath wiped her mouth, And hath said, `I have not done iniquity.`

²¹E toru nga mea e korikori ai te whenua, a e wha, he mea e kore e manawanuitia e ia:

²¹For three things hath earth been troubled, And for four — it is not able to bear:

²²Ko te pononga ina whakakingitia ia; ko te wairangi hoki ina makona i te taro;

²²For a servant when he reigneth, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,

²³Ko te wahine whakarihariha ina whiwhi i te tane; a ko te pononga wahine ina tuku iho mana nga mea a tona rangatira.

²³For a hated one when she ruleth, And a maid-servant when she succeedeth her mistress.

²⁴¶ E wha nga mea ririki i runga i te whenua, he nui noa atu ia nga whakaaro:

²⁴Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:

²⁵Ko nga popokorua ehara i te iwi kaha, heoi e mea ana i te kai ma ratou i te raumati;

²⁵The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare in summer their food,

²⁶Ko nga koni, he iwi ngoikore, heoi e hanga ana i o ratou whare ki te kamaka;

²⁶Conies [are] a people not strong, And they place in a rock their house,

²⁷Ko nga mawhitiwhiti, kahore o ratou kingi, heoi haere ropu ana ratou katoa;

²⁷A king there is not to the locust, And it goeth out — each one shouting,

²⁸Ko te mokomoko, ko ona peke hei pupuri mana; otiia kei roto ia i nga whare kingi.

²⁸A spider with two hands taketh hold, And is in the palaces of a king.

²⁹¶ E toru nga mea, he tau ta ratou hikoi, ae ra, e wha he huatau ki te haere:

²⁹Three there are going well, Yea, four are good in going:

³⁰Ko te raiona, ko te mea kaha rawa o nga kararehe, e kore nei e tahuri mai i te aroaro o tetahi;

³⁰An old lion — mighty among beasts, That turneth not back from the face of any,

³¹Ko te kuri horo; ko te koati toa ano hoki; a ko te kingi, kahore nei tetahi e maranga ake ki a ia.

³¹A girt one of the loins, or a he-goat, And a king — no rising up with him.

³²Ki te mea he mahi kuware tau i a koe i whakaneke ake ai i a koe, ki te mea ranei i whakaaro kino koe, kopania tou ringa ki tou mangai.

³²If thou hast been foolish in lifting up thyself, And if thou hast devised evil — hand to mouth!

³³He pono hoki ki te hurihia te waiu ka puta mai he pata, a ki te kowiria te ihu ka puta mai he toto: waihoki ki te akina te riri ka puta he whawhai.

³³For the churning of milk bringeth out butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth out blood, And the forcing of anger bringeth out strife!