1 N ana, kihai i mutua te ringa o Ihowa, te tau ai te whakaora; kihai ano i taimaha tona taringa, te rongo ai ia.

See, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save, and His ear is not closed that it cannot hear.

2 E ngari na o koutou he i wehe koutou ko to koutou Atua, na o koutou hara ano i huna ai tona mata ki a koutou, te whakarongo ai ia.

But your wrong-doings have kept you away from your God. Your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.

3 K ua poke hoki o koutou ringa i te toto, o koutou maihao i te he; ko o koutou ngutu kua korero teka, ko o koutou arero kei te whakapuaki i te whanoke.

For your hands are sinful with blood, your fingers with wrong-doing, your lips have lied, and your tongue talks about sin.

4 K ahore he karanga ki te tika, kahore he tohe ki te pono; ko te horihori to ratou okiokinga, e korero teka ana ratou; ko to ratou hapu he nanakia, whanau ake te kino.

No one wants what is right and fair in court. And no one argues his cause with the truth. They trust in what is false, and speak lies. They plan to make trouble and do what is sinful.

5 E paoa ana e ratou nga hua o te neke, e hanga ana e ratou te whare pungawerewere: ko te tangata e kai ana i a ratou hua ka mate, a ki te kopengia tetahi, ka puta he waipera.

They bring young ones from the eggs of deadly snakes and make traps as a spider does. He who eats of their eggs dies, and a snake comes out of the egg that is crushed.

6 E kore o ratou whare pungawerewere e tau hei kakahu, e kore ano ratou e whai hipoki i a ratou mahi: ko a ratou mahi he mahi na te kino, he mahi nanakia kei o ratou ringa.

Clothing cannot be made from the work of the spider, so they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of sin. They hurt others with their hands.

7 E rere ana o ratou waewae i te kino, hohoro tonu hoki ratou ki te whakaheke i te toto harakore: ko o ratou whakaaro he whakaaro ki te kino, he whakamoti, he wawahi kei o ratou ara.

And they are quick to sin and to kill people who are not guilty. Their thoughts are thoughts of sin. Wherever they go, they destroy and cause suffering.

8 K ahore o ratou matauranga ki te ara o te rangimarie, kahore hoki he whakawa i o ratou ara; ko o ratou huarahi, whakakopikopikoa ake e ratou: ko te hunga katoa e haere ana na reira, e kore e mohio ki te rangimarie.

They know nothing about peace, and there is nothing fair in their paths. Their roads are not straight. Whoever walks on them does not know peace.

9 N a reira matara noa atu te whakawa i a tatou, te mau tatou i te tika: e taria atu ana e tatou te marama, na ko te pouri; te tiaho, na kei te haere nei tatou i te pouri.

So what is right and fair is far from us. What is right and good does not come to us. We hope for light, but see darkness. We hope for bright light, but we walk in the dark.

10 E whawha ana tatou ki te taiepa ano he matapo, ae ra, me te mea ko te hunga kahore he kanohi: e tutuki ana o tatou waewae i te poutumarotanga me te mea i te ahiahi; he rite tatou ki te tupapaku i roto i nga tangata pakari.

We feel for the wall like blind men. We feel our way like those who have no eyes. We trip at noon as in the night. Among those who are strong, we are like dead men.

11 K ei te ngengere tatou katoa ano he pea; ko to tatou rite kei te kukupa e tumutumu tonu ana. E tatari ana tatou ki te whakawa, heoi kua kahore; ki te whakaora, otiia kei tawhiti atu i a tatou.

All of us make noise like bears, and cry inside ourselves like doves. We hope for what is right and fair, but it is not there. We hope to be saved, but it is far from us.

12 K ua nui hoki o matou poka ke i tou aroaro, e whakaatu ana hoki o matou hara i to matou he; kei a matou nei hoki o matou poka ke, a ko o matou kino, e mohiotia ana era e matou;

For we have done much wrong before You, and our sins speak against us. Our wrong-doing is with us, and we know our sins.

13 H e poka ke, he whakakahore ki a Ihowa, he peka atu i te whai i to matou Atua, he whanoke nga korero, he whakakeke; kua hapu, kua puaki i te ngakau he kupu teka.

We have gone against the Lord and have acted as if we do not know Him. We have turned away from our God. We have made it hard for others. We have thought and spoken lying words from the heart.

14 K ua tahuri atu nei ki muri te whakawa, ko te tika tu mai ana i tawhiti; kua hinga hoki te pono i te waharoa, a kahore he tomokanga mo te tika.

What is right and fair is turned back. What is right and good stands far away. Truth has fallen in the street, and what is right cannot come in.

15 A e ra, kua kore te pono; a ko te tangata e whakarere ana i te kino ka waiho hei taonga parau. Na ka kite a Ihowa, ka kino ki tana titiro, no te mea kahore he whakawa.

Yes, truth is not there. And he who turns away from sin comes under the anger of sinners. Now the Lord saw this, and it did not please Him to see that what is right and fair was not being done.

16 N a titiro rawa mai ia, kahore he tangata, miharo ana ia no te mea kahore he kaiwawao; na, kei tona ringa he whakaora mona; ko tona tika, na tera ia i tautoko ake.

He saw and wondered that there was no man to speak up for what is right. Then His own arm brought saving power, and what is right with Him gave Him strength.

17 I kakahuria hoki e ia te tika hei pukupuku, ko te whakaora hei potae ki tona mahunga; kakahuria ana e ia nga kakahu o te rapu utu hei kakahu, ropia mai ana te hae hei koroka.

Being right and good was His covering for His breast, saving power was His headcovering, clothing of anger was his covering, and His strong desires were like a coat.

18 K o tana utu ka rite ki a ratou mahi, he riri ki ona hoa whawhai, he utu ki ona hoariri; ki nga motu hoki ka homai e ia he utu.

He will pay them back for their works. He will send anger upon those who are against Him, and will punish those who hate Him. He will send punishment on the islands.

19 N a ka wehingia te ingoa o Ihowa i te uru, tona kororia i te rawhiti. Ka haere mai hoki ia ano he awa e taheke ana, e aia ana e te manawa o Ihowa.

They will fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His shining-greatness from the rising of the sun. When the one who hates us comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a wall against him.

20 A ka haere mai te kaihoko ki Hiona, ki te hunga o Hakopa e tahuri atu ana i te poka ke, e ai ta Ihowa.

“The One Who saves from the punishment of sin will come to Zion, and He will come to those of Jacob who turn from their sinful ways,” says the Lord.

21 K o ahau nei, ko taku kawenata tenei ki a ratou, e ai ta Ihowa: Ko toku wairua i a koe na, me aku kupu i hoatu e ahau ki tou mangai, e kore e neke atu i tou mangai, i te mangai o ou uri, i te mangai ano o nga uri o ou uri, e ai ta Ihowa, aianei a ake tonu atu.

“And as for Me, this is My agreement with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit which is upon you, and My Words which I have put in your mouth, will not leave your mouth, or the mouth of your children, or the mouth of your children’s children,” say the Lord, “from now and forever.”