Hopa 23

¹Kātahi ka whakautua e Hopa, i mea ia:

²“I tēnei rā nei anō e amuamu ana tāku tangi. Nui noa atu i tāku auē te taimaha o te patunga i ahau.

³Auē, me i mōhio ahau ki te wāhi e kite ai ahau i a ia, kia tae rawa atu ai ahau ki tōna nohoanga!

⁴Ka āta whakatakotoria e ahau āku kōrero ki tōna aroaro, ka whakakīia hoki tōku māngai ki ngā kupu tautohetohe.

⁵Ka mōhio ahau ki ngā kupu e whakahokia mai e ia ki ahau, ka mārama hoki tāna e mea ai ki ahau.

⁶E whakaputaina mai rānei tōna kaha nui ina tautohetohe ki ahau? Kāhore; engari ka whai whakaaro ia ki ahau.

⁷Ko reira te tangata tika tautohetohe ai ki a ia; ā, ora tonu ake ahau i tōku kaiwhakawā ake tonu atu.

⁸“Nanā, haere ana ahau ki mua, ā, kāhore ia i reira; ki muri, heoi kāhore ahau e kite i a ia;

⁹ki mauī, ina ka mahi ia, heoi kāhore ahau e kite i a ia; e huna ana ia i a ia anō i te taha ki matau, tē kite ahau i a ia.

¹⁰Otiia, e mōhio ana ia ki te ara e anga atu ai ahau. Kia oti ahau te titiro iho e ia, ānō he kōura ahau i tōku putanga mai.

¹¹Mau pū ōna takahanga i tōku waewae; ū pū ahau ki tōna ara, kīhai hoki i peka kē.

¹²Kīhai hoki i mahue i ahau te whakahau a ōna ngutu; ko ngā kupu a tōna māngai rongoā rawa ki ahau, nui atu i te kai i rite māku.

¹³“Ko ia, kotahi tonu tōna whakaaro, ā, mā wai ia e whakatahuri kē? Ko tā tōna ngākau hoki i hiahia ai e meatia ana e ia.

¹⁴E whakaotia ana hoki e ia ngā mea i whakaritea mōku; he maha anō hoki āna mahi pērā.

¹⁵Koia ahau i ohorere ai i tōna aroaro; ka whakaaroaro ahau, ka wehi i a ia.

¹⁶Ngohe noa hoki tōku ngākau i te Atua, ohorere ana ahau i te Kaha Rawa.

¹⁷Kīhai nei hoki ahau i whakangaromia i mua o te pōuri, kīhai hoki i hīpokina e ia te pōuri i tōku aroaro.”