1 H e rua hoki to te hiriwa e puta mai ai, he wahi ano to te koura e whakarewaina ai.

“Surely there is a mine for silver And a place where they refine gold.

2 H e mea tango mai te rino no roto i te whenua; no te kamaka te parahi, he mea whakarewa.

“Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock.

3 E whakatakotoria ana e te tangata he mutunga mai mo te pouri, e rapua ana e ia ki te tino tutukitanga atu nga kohatu o te pouri, o te atarangi o te mate.

“ Man puts an end to darkness, And to the farthest limit he searches out The rock in gloom and deep shadow.

4 E pakaruhia mai ana e ia he rua i ko ake o nga nohoanga tangata; kua wareware ratou i te waewae e haere ana; he tawhiti i te tangata to ratou tarenga, e piu atu ana, e piu ana mai.

“He sinks a shaft far from habitation, Forgotten by the foot; They hang and swing to and fro far from men.

5 K o te whenua, e puta mai ana he taro i roto i a ia: a e hurihia ake ana a raro iho ano he ahi.

“The earth, from it comes food, And underneath it is turned up as fire.

6 H ei wahi mo nga hapira ona kohatu, he puehu koura ano tona.

“Its rocks are the source of sapphires, And its dust contains gold.

7 H e ara tena kahore i mohiotia e te manu, kiano i kitea e te kanohi o te whatura.

“The path no bird of prey knows, Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it.

8 K ahore nga kirehe whakahi kia takahi i taua ara kahore hoki a reira kia haerea e te raiona tutu.

“The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.

9 E pa atu ana tona ringa ki te kiripaka; hurihia ake e ia nga take o nga maunga.

“He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the base.

10 E tapahia ana e ia he awa i roto i nga kamaka, a e kite ana tona kanohi i nga mea utu nui katoa.

“He hews out channels through the rocks, And his eye sees anything precious.

11 E herea ana e ia nga awa kei maturuturu; e whakaputa mai ana hoki i nga mea ngaro ki te marama.

“He dams up the streams from flowing, And what is hidden he brings out to the light. The Search for Wisdom Is Harder

12 E kitea ia ki hea te whakaaro nui? kei hea hoki te wahi o te mohio?

“But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

13 E kore te tangata e mohio ki tona utu, e kore ano taua hanga e kitea ki te whenua o te ora.

“ Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living.

14 E ki ake ana te rire, Kahore i ahau; e ki mai ana hoki te moana, Kahore i ahau.

“The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

15 E kore e hokona ki te koura, e kore ano hoki e taea te pauna te hiriwa hei utu mona.

“ Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, Nor can silver be weighed as its price.

16 E kore e taea te whakarite ki te koura o Opira, ki te onika utu nui, ki te hapira.

“It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx, or sapphire.

17 E kore e rite te koura, te kohatu piata ki a ia: e kore e hokona ki nga oko koura parakore.

“ Gold or glass cannot equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.

18 E kore e whakahuatia te kaoa, nga peara ranei; hira ake hoki te utu o te whakaaro nui i to te rupi.

“Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls.

19 E kore te topaha o Etiopia e rite ki a ia, e kore e tau te koura parakore hei utu.

“The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

20 K a haere mai ra i hea te whakaaro nui? Kei hea te wahi o te matau?

“ Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding?

21 H e mea huna atu na hoki i nga kanohi o nga mea ora katoa, ngaro rawa i nga manu o te rangi.

“Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living And concealed from the birds of the sky.

22 E ki ake ana te whakangaromanga raua ko te mate, i hakiri o maua taringa ki tona rongo.

“ Abaddon and Death say, ‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’

23 E mohio ana te Atua ki tona ara, kua kite ano ia i tona wahi.

“ God understands its way, And He knows its place.

24 E titiro ana hoki ia ki nga pito o te whenua, e kite ana ia i nga mea i raro i te rangi, a puta noa;

“For He looks to the ends of the earth And sees everything under the heavens.

25 E mea ana i te whakataimaha mo te hau; ae, e mehua ana ia i nga wai ki te mehua.

“When He imparted weight to the wind And meted out the waters by measure,

26 I a ia e whakatakoto ana i te tikanga mo te ua, i te huarahi mo te uira o te whatitiri,

When He set a limit for the rain And a course for the thunderbolt,

27 K a kitea e ia i reira, a whakapuakina mai ana; i whakaukia e ia, a ata rapua ana e ia.

Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out.

28 A ka mea ia ki te tangata, Na, ko te wehi ki te Ariki, ko te whakaaro nui tena; a ko te mawehe atu i te kino, koia te matauranga.

“And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’”