1 T hen Elihu said,

I korero ano a Erihu, i mea,

2 “ Do you think this is right? Do you say, ‘I am more right than God’?

Ki tou whakaaro he tika tenei mau, e mea ana ranei koe, Nui atu toku tika i to te Atua?

3 F or you ask, ‘What will You get by it? How will it be better for me than if I had sinned?’

I mea ai koe, He aha te rawa ki a koe? a, He aha te painga ki ahau, hira ake i te painga me i hara ahau?

4 I will answer you, and your friends with you.

Maku e whakahoki he kupu ki a koe, ki a koutou ko ou hoa.

5 L ook at the heavens and see. See the clouds which are higher than you.

Kia matatau atu tau titiro ki nga rangi; matakitakina atu hoki nga kapua e tiketike ake na i a koe.

6 I f you have sinned, what does that do to God? If you have done many wrongs, what does that do to Him?

Mehemea kua hara koe, ka ahatia ia e tau mahi? A ki te whakanuia au mahi tutu, e aha ana ranei koe ki a ia?

7 I f you are right and good, what do you give to Him? What does He receive from you?

Ki te mea he tika tou, ko te aha e hoatu ana e koe ki a ia? Ko te aha ranei a tou ringa e riro ana i a ia?

8 Y our wrong-doing may hurt another man and your being right and good may help him.

Ka mamae pea tetahi tangata pena i a koe na i tou kino; ka whai painga pea ki tetahi tama a te tangata tou tika.

9 “ People cry out because of their many hard times. They cry for help because of the arm of the powerful.

He maha no nga tukinotanga i tangi ai ratou; na te ringaringa o te hunga nui i aue ai ratou kia awhinatia.

10 B ut no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night,

Kahore ia tetahi e mea ana, Kei hea toku Kaihanga, te Atua, e homai nei i nga waiata i te po?

11 W ho teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’

E nui atu nei tana whakaako ki a tatou i tana ki nga kararehe o te whenua, nana hoki i nui ai o tatou mahara i o nga manu o te rangi?

12 T here they cry out, but He does not answer because of the pride of sinful men.

Karanga ana ratou i reira, heoi kahore he kupu e whakahokia mai, he mea na te whakapehapeha o te hunga kino.

13 F or sure God will not listen to an empty cry. The All-powerful will not do anything about it.

He pono e kore te tekateka noa e whakarangona mai e te Atua, e kore ano hoki e tirohia mai e te Kaha Rawa.

14 H ow much less when you say you do not see Him, that your trial is before Him, and you must wait for Him!

Ka iti rawa iho ki te mea koe, kahore koe e kite i a ia, kei tona aroaro te whakarite whakawa; na ka tatari koe ki a ia!

15 A nd now, because God has not punished in His anger, and does not watch for sin,

Na, kihai nei ia i tae mai i runga i tona riri, kihai ano hoki i aro nui mai ki te whakamanamana;

16 J ob opens his mouth with empty talk. He speaks many words without much learning.”

Koia i puaki ai te mangai o Hopa, he mea horihori kau nei; kahore he matauranga o nga kupu e whakamahatia nei e ia.