1 E taku tama, ki te tango koe i aku kupu, ki te huna i aku whakahau ki roto ki a koe;

2 A ka tahuri tou taringa ki te whakaaro nui, ka anga ano tou ngakau ki te matauranga;

3 Ae ra, ki te mea ka karangarangatia e koe te matauranga, a ka puaki tou reo ki te ngakau mohio;

4 Ki te rapua hoki ia e koe ano he hiriwa, ki te kimihia ano he taonga huna;

5 Ko reira koe matau ai ki te wehi o Ihowa, kite ai i te mohio ki te Atua.

6 Ma Ihowa hoki e homai te whakaaro nui; no tona mangai te matauranga me te ngakau mohio.

7 E rongoatia ana e ia te whakaaro nui ma te hunga tika; he whakangungu rakau ia mo te hunga he tapatahi nei te haere;

8 Kia tiakina ai e ia nga ara o te whakawa, kia tohungia ai te ara o tana hunga tapu.

9 Ko reira koe mohio ai ki te tika, ki te whakawa, ki te mea ano e rite ana, ae ra, ki nga ara pai katoa.

10 Ka uru hoki te whakaaro nui ki roto ki tou ngakau, a ka reka te matauranga ki tou wairua;

11 Ka ai te ngarahu pai hei tiaki i a koe, te ngakau mohio hei pupuri i a koe;

12 Hei kukume mai i a koe i te ara o te kino, i te tangata e puta ke ana ana korero;

13 I te hunga e whakarere nei i nga ara o te tika, e haere ana i nga ara o te pouri;

14 E koa ana, i a ratou e mahi ana i te kino, e hari ana ki nga tikanga parori ke o te kino;

15 He ara kopikopiko o ratou, he whanoke ratou i o ratou huarahi:

16 Hei whakaora i a koe i te wahine tauhou, i te wahine tauhou e whakapati nei ki ana kupu;

17 Kua whakarerea nei e ia te hoa o tona tamahinetanga, kua wareware ki te kawenata o tona Atua.

18 E heke atu ana hoki tona whare ki te mate, ona ara ki nga tupapaku.

19 Ko te hunga katoa e haere atu ana ki a ia e kore e hoki mai; e kore ano e mau i a ratou nga ara o te ora.

20 A ka haere koe i nga ara o nga tangata pai, ka mau ano ki nga ara o te hunga tika.

21 Ka noho hoki te hunga tika ki te whenua; ka mau te hunga ngakau tapatahi ki reira.

22 Ka hatepea atu ia te hunga kino i runga i te whenua; ka hutia atu i reira te hunga he kopeka ta ratou mahi.

1 My son, if thou dost accept my sayings, And my commands dost lay up with thee,

2 To cause thine ear to attend to wisdom, Thou inclinest thy heart to understanding,

3 For, if for intelligence thou callest, For understanding givest forth thy voice,

4 If thou dost seek her as silver, And as hid treasures searchest for her,

5 Then understandest thou fear of Jehovah, And knowledge of God thou findest.

6 For Jehovah giveth wisdom, From His mouth knowledge and understanding.

7 Even to lay up for the upright substance, A shield for those walking uprightly.

8 To keep the paths of judgment, And the way of His saints He preserveth.

9 Then understandest thou righteousness, And judgment, and uprightness -- every good path.

10 For wisdom cometh into thy heart, And knowledge to thy soul is pleasant,

11 Thoughtfulness doth watch over thee, Understanding doth keep thee,

12 To deliver thee from an evil way, From any speaking froward things,

13 Who are forsaking paths of uprightness, To walk in ways of darkness,

14 Who are rejoicing to do evil, They delight in frowardness of the wicked,

15 Whose paths [are] crooked, Yea, they are perverted in their ways.

16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, From the stranger who hath made smooth her sayings,

17 Who is forsaking the guide of her youth, And the covenant of her God hath forgotten.

18 For her house hath inclined unto death, And unto Rephaim her paths.

19 None going in unto her turn back, Nor do they reach the paths of life.

20 That thou dost go in the way of the good, And the paths of the righteous dost keep.

21 For the upright do inhabit the earth, And the perfect are left in it,

22 And the wicked from the earth are cut off, And treacherous dealers plucked out of it!