Hopa 8
1 Na ka whakautu a Pirirara Huhi, ka mea,
Then Bildad the Shuhite spoke up and said,
2 Kia pehea ake te roa o tau korero i enei mea? Kia pehea ake te roa o nga kupu a tou mangai e rite ai ki te hau kaha?
“How much longer will you go on talking like this? The words coming out of your mouth are a lot of hot air!
3 E whakaparori ke ranei te Atua i te whakawa? E whakaparori ke ranei te Kaha Rawa i te tika?
Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 Ki te mea i hara au tamariki ki a ia, a kua maka atu ratou e ia hei utu mo to ratou he;
Your children must have sinned against him, and so they deserved the punishment he inflicted on them.
5 Ki te rapu wawe koe i to Atua, a ka inoi ki te Kaha Rawa;
But if you pray to God and ask for his help,
6 Ki te mea he ma koe, he tika, ina, ka ara ake ia ki a koe aianei, ka manaakitia ano e ia te nohoanga o tou tika.
if you live a clean life and do what is right, then he would act to make things right for you in your home.
7 Ahakoa i iti tou timatanga, e nui noa atu tou whakamutunga.
Though you began with next to nothing, you will end up with so much!
8 Tena ra, ui atu ki to mua whakatupuranga; anga atu hoki ki te mea kua rapua e o ratou matua.
Why don't you ask what previous generations discovered, examine what our ancestors found out? We were born yesterday and don't know anything!
9 Nonanahi nei hoki tatou, kahore hoki e mohio; he atarangi nei hoki o tatou ra i runga i te whenua;
Our days on earth fade as quickly as a passing shadow.
10 E kore ranei ratou e whakaako i a koe, e korero ki a koe, e puaki mai ranei he kupu i o ratou ngakau?
Won't they teach you and explain what they know?
11 E tupu ranei te wiwi i te mea kahore he repo? E nui ranei te raupo ki te kahore he wai?
Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Can reeds grow without water?
12 I te mea he kaiota tonu, a kihai i tapahia, kua maroke i mua ake i nga otaota katoa.
Even without being cut, while they are still flowering, they wither faster than grass.
13 Ka pera ano nga ara o te hunga katoa e wareware ana ki te Atua, a ka riro ki te kore ta te tangata whakaponokore i tumanako ai.
This is what happens to everyone who forgets God. The hopes of those who live without God come to nothing.
14 Ka motuhia atu tana i whakamanawa atu ai, ko te whare hoki o te pungawerewere hei tumanakohanga mona.
Their confidence is like holding on to a flimsy spider's web.
15 Ka okioki atu ia ki tona whare; heoi e kore e tu: u tonu tana pupuri atu, otiia e kore e mau.
They look to their home to provide security, but it provides no support. They try to hang onto it, but it doesn't last.
16 E matomato ana i te mea kahore nei te ra, a e wana ana ona peka i tana kari.
Those who live without God are like a luxuriant plant growing in the sun, spreading its shoots all over the garden.
17 Kapi tonu te puranga i ona pakiaka, e kitea ana e ia te wahi kamaka.
It twists its roots down through the stones, and holds on to rock.
18 Ki te whakamotitia iho ia i tona wahi, ka whakakahore taua wahi ki a ia, ka mea, Kahore ahau i kite i a koe.
But when it's cut down, the place where it was disowns it, saying, ‘I never even saw you.’
19 Nana, ko te hari tenei o tona ara, a ka tupu ake etahi atu i roto i te puehu.
Its life is over, and others spring up from the earth to take its place.
20 Nana, e kore te Atua e whakakahore ki te tangata tika, e kore ano e puritia e ia te ringa o nga tangata kino.
Look, God doesn't reject someone who is innocent, and he doesn't support those who are guilty.
21 Tera ano tou mangaika whakakiia e ia ki te kata, ou ngutu ki te hamama.
He can make you laugh with happiness again and shout for joy.
22 He whakama te kakahu mo te hunga e kino ana ki a koe, a ka kahore noa iho te tapenakara o te hunga kino.
Those who hate you will be put to shame, and the place where the wicked live will be destroyed.”
