1 Nā, ka tahuri ahau, ā, ka titiro ki ngā tūkinotanga katoa e mahia nei i raro i te rā.

Nā, ko ngā roimata o te hunga i tūkinotia,

kāhore hoki ō rātou kaiwhakamārie;

ā, he kaha kei te ringa o ō rātou kaitūkino,

otiia kāhore ō rātou kaiwhakamārie.

2 Nā, ko tāku whakamoemiti ki te hunga mate kua mate noa ake,

nui atu i tāku ki te hunga ora e ora nei.

3 Engari ia pai atu i a rāua

te tangata kāhore anō i whānau noa,

kāhore anō i kite noa i te mahi hē

e mahia nei i raro i te rā.

4 Nā, ka kite ahau i te māuiui katoa, i ngā mahi tohunga katoa, he mea hoki tēnei e hae ai te tangata ki tōna hoa. He horihori anō hoki tēnei, ā, he whai kau i te hau.

5 Ko te wairangi, kei te kōtui i ōna ringa,

ā, kainga ana e ia ōna kikokiko ake.

6 He pai kē te ringa kī i runga i te āta noho,

i ngā ringa kī e rua, ki te mea he ruha,

he whai noa i te hau.

7 Kātahi ahau ka tahuri, ā, ka kite i te horihori i raro i te rā:

8 he tangata tērā, ko ia anake, kāhore hoki ōna tokorua;

āe rā, kāhore anō hoki āna tama, ōna tuākana, tēina rānei;

heoi kāhore he mutunga o tāna mahi katoa,

e kore anō hoki ōna kanohi e mākona i ngā taonga.

Nā, ka mea ia, "Ki a wai tōku whakaaro i ahau ka mahi nei,

ka whakatiki nei i tōku wairua ki te pai?"

He horihori anō tēnei, he raruraru kino.

9 Erangi te tokorua i te kotahi;

nō te mea ka whiwhi rāua ki te utu pai i tā rāua mahi.

10 Ki te hinga hoki tētahi, mā tōna hoa ia e whakaara;

auē te mate mō te kotahi, ina hinga,

ki te kāhore te whakatokorua hei whakaara i a ia!

11 Ki te takoto tahi anō ngā tokorua, ka mahana rāua;

he tangata kotahi ia, mā te aha ka mahana ai tōna kotahi?

12 Ki te kaha tētahi i a ia kotahi nei,

ka māia te tokorua ki a ia.

E kore hoki te aho takitoru e motu wawe.

13 Pai ake te tamaiti rawakore, whakaaro nui i te kīngi kua koroheketia, kua wairangi, kua kore nei ōna mōhio ki te whakarongo ina whakatūpatoria. 14 I puta mai hoki tērā i roto i te whare herehere, hei kīngi; āe rā, ahakoa i roto i tōna whenua i kīngi ai, i whānau rawakore mai ia. 15 I kite ahau i te hunga ora katoa e haere nei i raro i te rā, kei te tama rātou, kei te tuarua, kua tū nei i te tūnga o tērā. 16 Kāhore he mutunga o te iwi katoa, arā o te hunga ko ia nei tō rātou ariki; nā, e kore ō muri iho i a ia e koa ki a ia. He pono, he horihori anō hoki tēnei, ā, he whai kau i te hau.