1 Ko te tangata tū kē, e whai ana i tā tōna ake hiahia,

e ngangau ana ki ngā whakaaro tōtika katoa.

2 Kāhore o te whakaarokore āhuareka ki te mātauranga;

engari kia whakakitea e ia tōna ngākau.

3 I te taenga mai o te tangata kino ka tae mai anō te whakahāwea,

me te tāwai hei hoa mō te whakamā.

4 He wai hōhonu ngā kupu a te māngai o te tangata;

he awa e rere ana te puna o te whakaaro nui.

5 Ehara i te mea pai te whakapai ki te kanohi o te tangata kino,

te whakapeau kē rānei i tā te tangata tika ina whakawā.

6 E uru ana ngā ngutu o te whakaarokore ki te totohe,

e karanga ana tōna māngai ki ngā whiu.

7 Hei huna anō mōna te māngai o te whakaarokore;

ā, ko ōna ngutu hei rore mō tōna wairua.

8 Ānō he kai reka ngā kupu a te kawe kōrero;

tae tonu iho ki ngā wāhi o roto rawa o te kōpū.

9 Ko te tangata anō hoki e māngere ana ki tāna mahi,

hei teina ia ki te tangata maumau.

10 Hei pourewa kaha te ingoa o Ihowā;

rere ana te tangata tika ki reira, ā, ora ake.

11 Ko ngā rawa o te tangata taonga hei pā kaha mōna,

hei pā tiketike ki tōna whakaaro.

12 I mua ake o te whakangaromanga ka whakakake te ngākau o te tangata;

i mua ake anō hoki o te hōnore ko te ngākau pāpaku.

13 Ko te tangata e whakahoki kupu ana i te mea kāhore anō ia i rongo noa,

he mahi wairangi tērā nāna, he hanga whakamā.

14 E whakamanawanui te wairua o te tangata ki tōna mate;

tēnā ko te wairua marū, ko wai e kaha ki tērā?