1 Nā, ko tāku kupu tēnei: kua peia oti e te Atua tāna iwi? Kāhore rāpea! Nō Īharaira anō hoki ahau, nō te uri o Āperahama, nō tō Pineamine iwi. 2 Kāhore hoki te Atua i pei i tāna iwi i mōhio ai i mua. Kāhore oti koutou i mātau ki te kōrero a te karaipiture i tā Irāia? I īnoi rā hoki ia ki te Atua, i whakahē i a Īharaira, i mea, 3 "E te Ariki, kua patua e rātou āu poropiti, kua whakahoroa āu āta; ko ahau anake hoki, kua mahue nei, ā, e whai ana rātou kia patua ahau." 4 Heoi, e pēhea ana te whakahoki a te Atua ki a ia? "E whitu mano tāngata kua waiho e ahau māku, kāhore nei i piko te turi ki a Paara." 5 Waihoki i te wā nei anō, tērā anō he toenga, he whiriwhiringa nā te aroha noa. 6 Ki te mea ia nā te aroha noa, ehara i te mea nā ngā mahi; pēnei ehara te aroha noa i te aroha noa.

7 Ha, he pēhea rā? Ko tā Īharaira e rapu nei, kīhai tēnei i taea e ia; otirā kua taea e te hunga whiriwhiri, ko ērā atu ia i whakapakeketia; 8 ko te mea hoki ia i tuhituhia,

"Kua hoatu ki a rātou e te Atua he wairua hiamoe,

he kanohi e kore ai rātou e kite,

he taringa e kore ai e rongo; ā taea noatia tēnei rā."

9 E mea ana hoki a Rāwiri,

"Kia whakatupu māhanga tō rātou tēpu,

hei rore hoki, hei tūtukitanga waewae, hei utu anō ki a rātou;

10 kia whakapōuritia ō rātou kanohi, kia kaua rātou e kite,

ā, kia whakapikoa tonutia iho e koe tō rātou tuarā."

11 Nā, ko tāku kupu tēnei, he tūtuki rānei tō rātou e hinga rawa ai? Kāhore rāpea! Engari, nā tō rātou hinga i puta ai te ora ki ngā tauiwi, he mea kia hae ai rātou. 12 Nā, ki te mea hei taonga mō te ao tō rātou hinganga, hei taonga anō mō ngā tauiwi tō rātou whakaitinga; tērā noa ake i tō rātou whakanuinga?

13 Ki a koutou, ki ngā tauiwi tēnei kupu āku, i te mea he āpōtoro ahau ki ngā tauiwi, e whakanui ana ahau i tāku mahi minita, 14 me kore e hae ngā tāngata o tōku kikokiko, kia ora ai ētahi o rātou i ahau. 15 Mehemea hoki ko tō rātou makanga atu hei houhanga rongo mō te ao, ka aha tō rātou tangohanga mai? He teka ianei he oranga ake i roto i te hunga mate?

16 Ki te mea hoki he tapu te mea mātāmua, ka pērā anō te pūranga; ki te tapu hoki te pakiaka, e pērā anō ngā manga. 17 Engari, ki te mea kua whatia atu ētahi o ngā manga, ā, ka honoa mai koe, te ōriwa ngahere, ki roto i ngā manga, ka whiwhi ngātahi ki te pakiaka o te mōmonatanga o te ōriwa; 18 aua e whakapehapeha ki ngā manga. Ki te whakapehapeha ia koe, ehara i te mea nāu i mau ake ai te pakiaka, engari, nā te pakiaka koe.

19 Nā, tērā koe e mea, "I whatia atu ngā manga, kia honoa iho ai ahau." 20 Āe rā; nā te whakapono kore rātou i whatia atu ai, nā tōu whakapono koe i tū ai. Aua e whakakake, engari kia wehi. 21 Nā, ki te mea kīhai i tohungia ngā manga tupu e te Atua, e kore anō ia e tohu i a koe.

22 Nā, tirohia iho te ngāwari me te pakeke o te Atua: pakeke ki te hunga i hinga; ngāwari ki a koe, ki te ū koe ki tāna tikanga ngāwari; ki te kāhore, ka tapahia hoki koe. 23 Me rātou anō, ki te kore e ū ki tō rātou whakapono kore, ka honoa anō; e taea hoki rātou e te Atua te hono mai anō. 24 Mehemea hoki ka tapahia mai koe i te ōriwa ngahere, ā, ka honoa mai ki te ōriwa pai, he mea rerekē i te tikanga; tērā noa ake te honoa o ēnei, o ngā manga tupu, ki tō rātou ōriwa anō.

25 E kore hoki ahau e pai, e ōku tēina, kia kūware koutou ki tēnei mea ngaro, kei mea noa koutou he mātau koutou, kua tau tētahi wāhi o te whakapakeketanga ki a Īharaira, kia riro mai rā anō te tokomahatanga o ngā tauiwi. 26 Ko reira a Īharaira katoa ora ai; ko te mea hoki ia i tuhituhia:

"Tērā e puta mai te Kaiwhakaora i Hiona,

māna e kaupare te karakiakore i a Hākopa.

27 Ko tāku kawenata hoki tēnei ki a rātou,

ina tangohia atu e ahau ō rātou hara."

28 Nā, i runga i te rongopai he hoariri rātou, he whakaaro ki a koutou; i runga ia i te whiriwhiringa, e arohaina ana rātou, he whakaaro ki ngā mātua. 29 I ā te Atua hōmaitanga hoki, i tāna karangatanga, kāhore e puta kē te whakaaro. 30 Ka rite hoki ki a koutou kīhai i whakapono i mua ki te Atua, ināianei ia kua tohungia, he mea nā tō rātou whakapono kore; 31 waihoki kua kāhore ēnei i whakapono ināianei, kia tohungia ai anō rātou i runga i te mahi tohu i whiwhi nei koutou. 32 Kua oti hoki te katoa te kōpani e te Atua ki roto ki te whakateka, he mea kia tohungia ai e ia te katoa.

33 Anō te hōhonu, te hua ngātahi hoki o te whakaaro o te Atua me tōna mōhio!

E kore āna tikanga e taea te rapu,

ōna huarahi te whakataki!

34 "Ko wai hoki te mōhio ana ki te hinengaro o te Ariki?

Ko wai hoki tōna hoa whakatakoto whakaaro?

35 Ko tā wai hoki kua mātua hoatu ki a ia,

ā, ka whakahokia mai he utu ki a ia?"

36 Ko ngā mea katoa nei hoki, nāna, ā kei runga anō i a ia, ā, e ahu ana hoki ki a ia. Mōna te korōria ake tonu atu! Āmine.