Hopa 9

¹Nā, ka whakahoki a Hopa, ka mea:

²“E mōhiotia ana anō tēnei e ahau; engari mā te aha ka tika ai te tangata ki te Atua?

³Ki te pai ia ki te totohe ki a ia, kāhore he kupu kotahi o roto i te mano e taea e ia te whakahoki ki a ia.

⁴He ngākau mōhio ia, he pakari tōna kaha; ko wai e whakauaua ki a ia, ā, e whiwhi i te pai?

⁵E nekehia ana e ia ngā maunga, tē mōhio rātou; hurihia ake e ia i a ia e riri ana.

⁶E whakangāueuetia ana e ia te whenua, e nekehia atu ana i tōna wāhi, wiri ana ōna pou.

⁷E kōrero nei ki te rā, ā, kore ake e whiti; hīritia pūtia iho e ia ngā whetū,

⁸ko ia nei anake hei hora i ngā rangi, hei takahi i runga i ngā ngaru o te moana.

⁹Nāna nei i hanga a Aketura, a Tautoru, a Matariki, me ngā rūma i te tonga.

¹⁰Nāna nei i mahi ngā mea nunui, e kore nei e taea te rapu atu, āe rā ngā mea whakamīharo, e kore nei e taea te tatau.

¹¹Inā tonu ia e haere atu nei, ā, kāhore ahau i kite; ka pahemo atu hoki ia, ā, kāhore ahau e mātau ki a ia.

¹²Nanā, ka hopu ia i tāna i aru ai, mā wai ia e ārai? Ko wai hei kī atu ki a ia, ‘E aha ana koe?’

¹³“E kore te Atua e whakahoki iho i tōna riri; e piko ana ki raro i a ia ngā kaiāwhina o Rahapa.

¹⁴Ā, kia whakahoki kupu anō ahau ki a ia, kia whiriwhiri kupu anō māku ki a ia?

¹⁵Ahakoa he tika ahau, e kore ahau e whakahoki kupu atu; engari ka īnoi ahau ki tōku kaiwhakawā.

¹⁶Me i karanga atu ahau, ā, whakahokia mai ai e ia te kupu ki ahau, kīhai ahau i whakaae tērā kua whakarongo mai ia ki tōku reo.

¹⁷E āki ana hoki ia i ahau ki te tūpuhi, e whakanui takekore ana hoki i ōku mate.

¹⁸Kāhore ahau e tukua e ia kia tā tōku manawa; otiia whakakīia ana e ia tōku wairua ki te kawa.

¹⁹Ki te kōrero tātou mō te kaha o te hunga pakari, nanā, kei reira ia! Ā, ki te mea he whakawā, ko wai rā hei whakatakoto i te tāima mōku?

²⁰“Ahakoa he tika ahau mā tōku māngai anō ahau e whakahē; ahakoa he tikanga tapatahi tāku, mā reira anō e whakaatu tōku ngaunga kētanga.

²¹He tapatahi ahau; kāhore ahau e whakaaro ki ahau anō; e whakahāwea ana ahau ki tōku ora.

²²He kotahi tonu ēnā; koia ahau ka mea, e whakamōtītia ana e ia te tapatahi rāua ko te kino.

²³Nā, ka whakamate tata nei te whiu, he kata tāna ki te whakamātautauranga o te hunga harakore.

²⁴Kua hoatu te whenua ki te ringa o te tangata kino; e taupokina ana e ia ngā mata o ngā kaiwhakawā; ki te mea ehara i a ia, tēnā ko wai?

²⁵“Nā, ko te hohoro o ōku rā, nui atu i tō te kaikawe pukapuka; e rere ana, kāhore hoki e kite i te pai.

²⁶Kua pahemo, kua pērā me ngā kaipuke tere, me te ēkara anō e topa iho ana ki tāna kai.

²⁷Ki te mea ahau, ‘Ka wareware ahau ki tāku tangi, ka unuhia atu e ahau te pōuri o tōku mata, ā, ka mārama,’

²⁸e wehi ana ahau i ōku mamae katoa, e mōhio ana ahau e kore ahau e meinga e koe he harakore.

²⁹Tērā hoki ahau e whakahēngia; he aha ahau i whakangenge kau ai i ahau?

³⁰Ki te horoi ahau i ahau ki te hukarere, ā, ka meinga ōku ringa kia mā rawa;

³¹kātahi ahau ka rumakina e koe ki te poka, ā, whakarihariha mai ana ōku kākahu ki ahau.

³²“Ehara hoki ia i te tangata, i te pēnei me ahau nei, e whakahoki kupu ai ahau ki a ia, e haere tahi ai māua ki te whakawā.

³³Kāhore he kaiwhakatikatika mō tā māua, kāhore he tangata hei whakapā i tōna ringa ki a māua tahi.

³⁴Me tango atu e ia tāna patu i ahau, ā, kaua hoki tana whakamataku e whakawehi i ahau.

³⁵Hei reira ahau ka kōrero, ā, kāhore e wehi i a ia; kāhore hoki ahau e pērā roto i ahau.”