¹¶ E taku tama, ki te mea ko tau hei whakakapi mo ta tou hoa, ki te mea kua papaki tou ringa mo te tangata ke,

¹My son! if thou hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand,

²Kua oti koe te mahanga e nga kupu a tou mangai, kua mau koe i nga kupu a tou mangai.

²Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with sayings of thy mouth,

³Meinga tenei inaianei, e taku tama, kia ora ai koe, he mea hoki kua taka koe ki roto ki te ringa o tou hoa; haere whakaiti i a koe, a ka tohe ki tou hoa.

³Do this now, my son, and be delivered, For thou hast come into the hand of thy friend. Go, trample on thyself, and strengthen thy friend,

⁴Kei tukua iho te moe ki ou kanohi; kei tunewha ou kamo.

⁴Give not sleep to thine eyes, And slumber to thine eyelids,

⁵Whakaora i a koe ano he anaterope i roto i te ringa o te kaiwhai, ano he manu i roto i te ringa o te kaihopu.

⁵Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.

⁶¶ Haere ki te popokorua, e te tangata mangere, matakitakina iho ona ara, kia nui ai ou whakaaro:

⁶Go unto the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;

⁷Kahore nei ona kaitohutohu, ona kaitirotiro, ona rangatira,

⁷Which hath not captain, overseer, and ruler,

⁸Heoi e mahi kai ana mana i te raumati, e kohikohi ana i te kai mana i te kotinga witi.

⁸She doth prepare in summer her bread, She hath gathered in harvest her food.

⁹Kia pehea ake te roa o tau takoto, e te tangata mangere? A hea koe maranga ai i tau moe?

⁹Till when, O slothful one, dost thou lie? When dost thou arise from thy sleep?

¹⁰Kia iti ake nei te wahi e parangia ai, kia iti ake nei te moe, kia iti ake te kotuinga o nga ringa i a koe e takoto na:

¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber, A little clasping of the hands to rest,

¹¹Na ka rite ki te kaipahua te putanga mai o te muhore ki a koe, tou rawakore, ano he tangata he patu nei tana.

¹¹And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man.

¹²¶ Ko te tangata kahore ona painga, ko te tangata hara, e haereere ana me te mangai tu ke;

¹²A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,

¹³E whakakini ana ona kanohi, e korero ana ona waewae, e tuhi ana ona maihao;

¹³Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,

¹⁴Kei roto te whanoke i tona ngakau, e whakatakoto ana ia i te kino i nga wa katoa; e rui ana ia i te ngangare.

¹⁴Frowardness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, Contentions he sendeth forth.

¹⁵Mo reira ka huaki tata te aitua ki a ia; e kore e aha ka whatiia ia, te taea te rongoa.

¹⁵Therefore suddenly cometh his calamity, Instantly he is broken — and no healing.

¹⁶E ono nga mea e kino ana ki a Ihowa; ae ra, e whitu nga mea e whakariharihangia ana e ia:

¹⁶These six hath Jehovah hated, Yea, seven [are] abominations to His soul.

¹⁷Ko te kanohi whakakake, ko te arero teka, ko nga ringa whakaheke i te toto harakore;

¹⁷Eyes high — tongues false — And hands shedding innocent blood —

¹⁸He ngakau e whakatakoto ana i nga whakaaro kikino, he waewae e hohoro ana te rere ki te hianga;

¹⁸A heart devising thoughts of vanity — Feet hasting to run to evil —

¹⁹He kaiwhakaatu teka e korero teka ana, ko te tangata hoki e rui ana i te ngangare ki waenganui i nga tuakana, i nga teina.

¹⁹A false witness [who] doth breathe out lies — And one sending forth contentions between brethren.

²⁰¶ E taku tama, puritia te whakahau a tou papa, kaua hoki e whakarerea te ture a tou whaea:

²⁰Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.

²¹Kia mau tonu te takai ki tou ngakau, heia ki tou kaki.

²¹Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on thy neck.

²²Ko tou kaiarahi ano tera ina haere koe; mana koe e tiaki ina takoto koe; ka korero mai ano ki a koe; ina ara koe.

²²In thy going up and down, it leadeth thee, In thy lying down, it watcheth over thee, And thou hast awaked — it talketh [with] thee.

²³He rama hoki te whakahau; a he marama te ture; ko nga riringa hoki, e whakaako ana, he ara ki te ora;

²³For a lamp [is] the command, And the law a light, And a way of life [are] reproofs of instruction,

²⁴Hei tiaki i a koe kei he i te wahine kino, i te whakapati a te arero o te wahine ke.

²⁴To preserve thee from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

²⁵Kei hiahia koe ki tona ataahua i roto i tou ngakau; kei mau ano koe i ona kamo.

²⁵Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not take thee with her eyelids.

²⁶Ko te tukunga iho o te tangata he wahi taro, he mea mo te wahine kairau; ko ta te wahine purema e whai ana ko te wairua utu nui.

²⁶For a harlot consumeth unto a cake of bread, And an adulteress the precious soul hunteth.

²⁷E taea ranei e te tangata te tango i te ahi ki roto ki tona uma, a e kore ona kakahu e wera?

²⁷Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt?

²⁸E taea ranei e tetahi te haere i runga i nga waro ratarata, a e kore ona waewae e hunua?

²⁸Doth a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?

²⁹Ka pera ano te tangata e haere ana ki te wahine a tona hoa; e kore e kore ka whiua te tangata e pa ana ki a ia.

²⁹So [is] he who hath gone in unto the wife of his neighbour, None who doth touch her is innocent.

³⁰E kore e whakahaweatia e te tangata te tahae, ki te tahaetia e ia he mea e makona ai tona wairua i a hiakai ia.

³⁰They do not despise the thief, When he stealeth to fill his soul when he is hungry,

³¹Otiia ki te kitea ia, kia takiwhitu ana e whakautu ai; me homai e ia nga rawa katoa o tona whare.

³¹And being found he repayeth sevenfold, All the substance of his house he giveth.

³²Ko te tangata e puremu ana ki te wahine, kahore ona mohio: ko te tangata e pera ana, kei te whakangaro ia i tona wairua.

³²He who committeth adultery [with] a woman lacketh heart, He is destroying his soul who doth it.

³³He kaiakiko, he whakama te wahi mona; e kore ano tona ingoa kino e horoia atu.

³³A stroke and shame he doth find, And his reproach is not wiped away,

³⁴He riri nui hoki na te tangata te hae; e kore ano e tohungia e ia i te ra rapu utu.

³⁴For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he doth not spare in a day of vengeance.

³⁵E kore ia e manako ki tetahi utu; e kore hoki e tatu tona ngakau, ahakoa he nui au hakari e tapae ai.

³⁵He accepteth not the appearance of any atonement, Yea, he doth not consent, Though thou dost multiply bribes!