¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,

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

²“Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.

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.

³Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that you are righteous? Or does it benefit him, that you make your ways perfect?

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?

⁴Is it for your piety that he reproves you, that he enters with you into judgment?

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

⁵Isn’t your wickedness great? Neither is there any end to your iniquities.

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

⁶For you have taken pledges from your brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.

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.

⁷You haven’t given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry.

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

⁸But as for the mighty man, he had the earth. The honorable man, he lived in it.

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

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

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

¹⁰Therefore snares are around you. Sudden fear troubles you,

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

¹¹or darkness, so that you can not see, and floods of waters cover you.

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

¹²“Isn’t God in the heights of heaven? See the height of the stars, how high they are!

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

¹³You say, ‘What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?

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?

¹⁴Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he doesn’t see. He walks on the vault of the sky.’

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

¹⁵Will you keep the old way, which wicked men have trodden,

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

¹⁶who were snatched away before their time, whose foundation was poured out as a stream,

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

¹⁷who said to God, ‘Depart from us;’ and, ‘What can the Almighty do for us?’

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

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

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.

¹⁹The righteous see it, and are glad. The innocent ridicule them,

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

²⁰saying, ‘Surely those who rose up against us are cut off. The fire has consumed their remnant.’

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

²¹“Acquaint yourself with him, now, and be at peace. Thereby good shall come to you.

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

²²Please receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.

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

²³If you return to the Almighty, you shall be built up, if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents.

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.

²⁴Lay your treasure in the dust, the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.

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

²⁵The Almighty will be your treasure, and precious silver to you.

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

²⁶For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and shall lift up your face to God.

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

²⁷You shall make your prayer to him, and he will hear you. You shall pay your vows.

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

²⁸You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established to you. Light shall shine on your ways.

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

²⁹When they cast down, you shall say, ‘be lifted up.’ He will save the humble person.

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

³⁰He will even deliver him who is not innocent. Yes, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

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