Proverbs 26
1 Just [like] [SIM] [it is not appropriate for] snow [to fall] in summer time, or rain [to fall] at harvest time, it is not appropriate to praise/honor foolish people.
He pera i te hukarere i te raumati, i te ua hoki i te kotinga witi, te kore e tau o te honore mo te wairangi.
2 Like [SIM] birds that fly by [and do not alight/land on anything], if someone curses you, it cannot hurt you if you (do not deserve them/have not done to him what is wrong).
He pera i te manu e rererere noa ana, i te waroa i ona rerenga te kanga pokanoa; e kore e whakatau.
3 It is necessary to whip a horse and to put a bridle on a donkey [to force them to go where we want them to go], and similarly [SIM] [it is often necessary to strike] foolish people with a stick [to cause them to do what is right].
He whiu mo te hoiho, he paraire mo te kaihe, a he rakau mo te tuara o nga wairangi.
4 If a foolish person asks a foolish question, [do not answer him], because [if you answer his question], you are just as foolish as he is.
Kei rite ki tona whakaarokore tau whakautu ki te wairangi, kei rite hoki a koe na ki a ia.
5 If you give a foolish answer to someone who asks a foolish question, he will realize that he is (not very wise/foolish).
Kia rite ki tona whakaarokore tau whakautu ki te wairangi, kei mea ia he whakaaro nui ia.
6 Anyone who asks a foolish person to take a message to someone [is himself doing something as foolish as] cutting off his own feet or drinking poison.
Ko te tangata e tuku korero ana ma te ringa o te wairangi, e tapahi ana i ona waewae ano, e inumia ana hoki te he.
7 A lame man cannot use his legs, and similarly [SIM] [it is useless for] a foolish person to speak [MTY] (proverbs/wise sayings).
E tautau noa ana nga waewae o te kopa: he pera hoki te whakatauki i te mangai o te wairangi.
8 Tying a stone in a sling [so that it cannot be thrown at a target] is [as foolish as] [SIM] honoring a foolish person.
Ko te takai mea whakapaipai i roto i te puranga kohatu, ko tona rite kei te tangata e whakakororia ano i te wairangi.
9 If a drunk person waves some thorns/brambles with his hand, [he is not able to accomplish anything useful by doing that] (OR, [he does not feel it when a thorn sticks in his hand]); similarly, if foolish people speak [MTY] proverbs, [they do not help anyone who hears them].
E rite ana ki te tataramoa e wero nei i te ringa o te haurangi, koia ano te whakatauki i te mangai o nga wairangi.
10 A man who shoots arrows [to try] to wound everybody who is near [is foolish]; similarly, anyone who hires a foolish person [who passes by is very foolish].
Ka rite ki te kaikopere i tu ai te katoa, te tangata e utu ana i te wairangi me te tangata hoki e utu ana i nga tira haere.
11 A foolish person will foolishly do something stupid a second time; it is [like] [SIM] a dog returning to [eat] what it has vomited.
Ka rite ki te kuri e hoki nei ki tona ruaki, te wairangi e tuarua ana i tona poauau.
12 [God] can help/bless foolish people more easily than he can help/bless people who are not wise [RHQ], but think that they are wise.
Ka kite koe i te tangata e mea ana ki a ia he whakaaro nui? Ki ta te whakaaro tera e rahi ake ta te wairangi i tana.
13 Lazy people [just stay inside their houses and do nothing]; [they keep] saying “[I think] there is a lion in the street!”
E ki ana te mangere, He raiona kei te ara; he raiona kei nga waharoa.
14 A door [continually] swings back and forth on its hinges [and does not go anywhere]; similarly [SIM], lazy people [just continually turn over] in their beds [and never do anything].
He pera i te tatau e tahurihuri ra i runga i ona inihi, koia ano te mangere i runga i tona moenga.
15 Some people are extremely lazy; they put their hand in a dish [to get some food] but do not [even] lift the food up to their mouths.
E kuhua ana e te mangere tona ringa ki te rihi; he mahi ngenge rawa ki a ia te whakahoki mai ki tona mangai.
16 Lazy people think that they are wiser than seven/several people who can answer [others’ questions] with good sense.
He nui ke ake te whakaaro nui o te mangere, ki tana nei whakaaro, i to nga tangata tokowhitu e whakaatu ana i te tikanga.
17 Anyone who (meddles/involves himself) in a quarrel that does not concern him is [as foolish as] [SIM] someone who tries to grab a passing dog by its ears.
Ko te tangata e haere atu ana, e pokanoa ana ki te whawhai ehara nei i a ia, ko tona rite kei te tangata e hopu ana i te kuri ki ona taringa.
18 Crazy people who shoot burning arrows to kill people
Rite tonu ki te haurangi e makamaka ana i nga mea mura, i nga pere, i te mate,
19 are as foolish as those who deceive someone else and [then] say, “I was only joking.”
Te tangata e tinihanga ana ki tona hoa, e mea ana, He teka ianei he takaro taku?
20 If there is no [more] firewood [to put on the fire], the fire will go out; similarly [SIM], if there are no people who (gossip/tell people things that are not true), quarreling will end.
Ki te kahore he wahie, ka mate te ahi: ki te kore hoki he tangata kawekawe korero, ka mutu te ngangare.
21 [Putting] charcoal on burning coals or [putting] wood on a fire [causes the fire to keep burning]; similarly, people who like to quarrel cause people to keep arguing.
He waro ki nga ngarahu wera, he wahie ki te ahi; he pera te tangata totohe ki te tahu i te ngangare.
22 People [enjoy listening to what gossips say about others just like] [SIM] they enjoy tasty food; they [enjoy listening to what gossips tell them like] they enjoy swallowing tasty food.
He rite nga kupu a te kaikawekawe korero ki te maramara reka, tae tonu iho ki nga wahi o roto rawa o te kopu.
23 People who say nice things when they are thinking about doing evil things are like a nice glaze/covering on a [cheap] clay pot.
He ngutu puka me te ngakau kino, ko te rite kei te oko oneone i whakakikoruatia ki te para hiriwa.
24 Those who hate someone and are saying [MTY] something very different from what they are thinking are hypocrites; they are only planning [to harm that person].
Ko te tangata mauahara e whakaware ana ki ona ngutu, otiia e rongoatia ana e ia te tinihanga ki roto ki a ia:
25 When they say nice things, do not believe them, because in their inner beings are many things that [Yahweh] hates.
Ki te pai tona reo, kaua e whakapono ki a ia; e whitu hoki nga mea whakarihariha kei roto i tona ngakau.
26 They try to deceive people to cause them to think that they do not hate [that person], but in a public meeting, the people will find out the evil things [that they have done].
Ahakoa hipoki tona mauahara i a ia ki te tinihanga, ka whakakitea nuitia tona kino ki te aroaro o te whakaminenga.
27 Those who dig a deep pit [for other people to fall into] will fall into it themselves; rocks will roll down on those who start to cause rocks to roll down [to crush someone].
Ko te tangata e keri ana i te rua, ka taka ano ki roto: a ko te tangata e huri ana i te kohatu, ka hoki mai ano ki runga ki a ia.
28 Those [MTY] who tell lies to others [really] hate them, and those who deceive [others] ruin them.
E kino ana te arero teka ki ana i kuru ai; a, ko ta te mangai whakapati, he mahi kia ngaro.
