Whakatauki 28
1 E rere ana te hunga kino i te mea kahore he kaiwhai: ko te tangata tika ano ia, ano he raiona te maia.
Wicked [people] run away [even] when no one is pursuing them, but righteous/good [people are not afraid]; they are as brave as lions.
2 He he no tetahi whenua i tokomaha ai ona rangatira; na kia ai he tangata e mahara ana, e matau ana, ka mau roa ai tona ahua.
When [the people of] a nation sin, they will have one ruler after another; but when their leaders are wise and have good sense, their government will last for a long time.
3 Ko te tangata rawakore e tukino ana i nga ware, ko tona rite kei te ua ta e kore ai te kai.
A poor person who oppresses [other] poor [people] is [like] [MET] a very heavy/hard rain that [destroys the crops], with the result that there is no food [for people to eat].
4 Ko te hunga e whakarere ana i te ture, he whakamoemiti ta ratou ki te tangata kino: ko ta nga kaipupuri ia o te ture he ngangare ki a ratou.
Those who reject/disobey [God’s] laws always speak well of wicked [people]; but those who obey [God’s] laws [always] oppose what wicked people do.
5 E kore te hunga kino e mohio ki te whakawa: ko te hunga ia e rapu ana i a Ihowa, ka mohio ratou ki nga mea katoa.
Evil people do not understand what it means to act justly, but those who try to obey/worship Yahweh understand that very well.
6 He pai ki te rawakore e haere ana i runga i tona tapatahi, i te tangata he parori ke ona ara, ahakoa he whai taonga ia.
It is better to be honest [even] though you are poor than to be dishonest [even] though you are rich.
7 Ko te tangata e pupuri ana i te ture, he tamaiti mohio ia; engari ko te tangata whakahoa ki te hunga kakai, ka whakama tona papa i a ia.
Young people who obey the laws are wise [IDM]; parents whose children associate with those who (carouse/go to wild parties) are humiliated/disgraced because of what their children do.
8 Ko te tangata e whakanui ana i ona rawa ki te moni whakatupu, ki te whakapiki utu, e kohia ana e ia era ma te tangata e atawhaitia ai te rawakore.
When people become very rich by charging very high interest [DOU], their money will [eventually] go to someone who does kind things for the poor.
9 Ko te tangata e tahuri ke ana tona taringa, a kahore e rongo ki te ture, ko tana inoi nei ano he mea whakarihariha.
If people do not obey [MTY] [God’s] laws, [God] (detests their prayers/considers that their prayers stink).
10 Ko te tangata i meinga ai te hunga tika kia kotiti ke ki te ara he, ka taka a ia ano ki tana ake poka: ka whiwhi ia te hunga ngakau tapatahi ki te pai.
Those who cause honest/good [people] to do what is evil will fall into their own pits/traps, but good things will happen to those who (are innocent/have not done what is wrong).
11 Ki te whakaaro a te tangata taonga he nui tona whakaaro mohio; otiia e rapua ana tana e te rawakore whai whakaaro.
[Many] rich people think that they are wise, but poor people who have good sense will find out whether rich people really are wise or not.
12 Nui atu te ataahua, ina koa te hunga tika: engari ki te ara te hunga kino, ka huna nga tangata i a ratou.
When righteous/good [people] (succeed/win [elections]), everyone (celebrates/is happy); but when wicked [people win], everyone hides [because they are afraid of what the wicked people will do].
13 Ko te tangata e hipoki ana i ona he, e kore tana e kake; ko te tangata ia e whaki ana, a e whakarere ana, ka tohungia.
Those who refuse to confess/admit their sins will not prosper, but [God] acts mercifully/kindly toward those who confess their sins and turn away from their sinful behavior.
14 Ka hari te tangata e wehi tonu ana: ko te tangata ia e whakapakeke ana i tona ngakau, ka taka ki te kino.
[God] is pleased with those who always revere him, but those who are stubborn [IDM] will experience disasters.
15 E rite ana ki te raiona e hamama ana, ki te pea e kopikopiko ana, te tangata kino e kingi ana ki te iwi rawakore.
Wicked people who [mistreat] poor people whom they rule are [as dangerous to them as] [SIM] a lion roaring [at them] or a bear springing up [to attack them].
16 Ko te rangatira kore whakaaro he nui ano tana tukino: ko te tangata ia e kino ana ki te apo ka roa ona ra.
Rulers who do not have good sense cruelly oppress [the people they rule], but rulers who do not want to become rich by cheating/deceiving [people] will live (OR, rule) for a long time.
17 Ko te tangata e waha ana i te toto o te tangata, ka rere ia ki roto ki te rua; kaua tetahi e pupuri i a ia.
Those who are guilty of murdering [MTY] another person will (be fugitives/keep running away) until they die; do not help them to escape.
18 Ko te tangata he tapatahi nei te haere, ka ora: ko te tangata ia he parori ke ona ara, hinga tonu iho.
Those who [continually] do what is right will be safe/protected, but those who are dishonest will [suddenly] be ruined.
19 Ko te tangata e ngaki ana i tona oneone, ka makona i te taro; ko te tangata ia e whai ana i te hunga wairangi, ka whiwhi nui ki te rawakore.
Farmers who work [hard] in their fields will [produce good crops and always] have plenty of food [to eat], but those who spend all their time (on useless projects/doing things that do not benefit anyone) will become very poor.
20 Ko te tangata pono, ka nui nga manaaki mona: ko te tangata ia e hikaka ana ki te mea taonga, e kore ia e kore te whiwhi i te he.
[God] will greatly bless those who (are trustworthy/always do what they say that they will do), but he will certainly punish [LIT] those who try to become rich quickly.
21 Ko te whakapai kanohi ehara i te mea pai: ehara ano hoki i te mea pai kia he te tangata mo te kongakonga taro.
It is not good [for judges] to decide matters unfairly/unjustly, but [some] people will do what is wrong [even] if they receive [only] a very small bribe [HYP] [for doing it].
22 Ko te tangata he kino tona kanohi e takare tonu ana ki te taonga; kahore hoki ia e whakaaro ka tae mai te kore o te rawa ki a ia.
Selfish people [IDM] are very eager to become rich quickly; they do not realize that they will [soon] become poor.
23 Ko te tangata i riria ai te he o tetahi ka nui atu te manako ki a ia i muri iho, i te manako ki te tangata i whakapati nei tona arero.
Those who rebuke someone will be appreciated/thanked more than those who [say nice things to others merely] to (flatter them/cause them to feel good).
24 Ko te tangata e pahua ana i tona papa, i tona whaea, a e ki ana, Ehara i te he; he hoa ia no te kaiwhakangaro.
Anyone who steals things from his father or his mother and says “That is not sinful” is as bad as a bandit.
25 Ko ta te tangata ngakau apo he whakapatari pakanga: ko te tangata ia e okioki ana ki a Ihowa ka tetere.
Greedy people cause trouble/strife; those who trust in Yahweh will prosper [IDM].
26 He kuware te tangata e whakawhirinaki ana ki tona ake ngakau: ko te tangata ia e haere ana i runga i te whakaaro nui, ka mawhiti.
Those who believe that what they think [is always right] are foolish; those who act wisely will (escape danger/be safe).
27 Ko te tangata e hoatu ana ki te rawakore, e kore ia e hapa; ko te tangata ia e kaupare ana i ona kanohi, ka maha nga kanga mona.
Those who give things to poor [people] will not become poor, but many [people] will curse those who refuse to help [IDM] poor people.
28 Ka ara te hunga kino, ka huna nga tangata i a ratou: na ki te ngaro ratou, ka tupu te hunga tika.
When wicked [people] become rulers, people hide [because they are afraid of what those wicked people will do]; but when wicked people are no longer rulers, good/righteous [people will] become the rulers.
