Proverbs 17
1 It is better [to eat] a dry piece [of bread] and not have strife/quarrels than to have a big feast in a house where [everyone] is quarreling.
Ko te maramara kai, ko te mea maroke me te ata noho hei kinaki, pai atu i te whare ki i nga hakari a te nganagare.
2 A slave who acts wisely will [some day] be the boss of his master’s disgraceful son and when his master dies, the slave will receive part of his master’s possessions.
Hei rangatira te pononga mahara mo te tama i whakama ai; ka whai wahi ano ia i roto i to nga teina.
3 [Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and Yahweh [similarly] examines people’s inner beings [to see if they are pure].
Ko te oko tahu para mo te hiriwa, ko te oumu mo te koura; ko Ihowa ia hei whakamatau mo nga ngakau.
4 Those who do what is evil pay attention to people who say [MTY] what is evil, and liars pay attention to [other people’s] lies.
Ko te kaimahi i te he ka tahuri ki ta te ngutu kino; a ka whai taringa te teka ki ta te arero whanoke.
5 Those who make fun of poor [people] insult God, the one who made the poor [people], [and] those who are happy when [someone else has] troubles will certainly be punished [LIT] [by God].
Ko te taunu ki te rawakore he tawai ki tona Kaihanga: ko te tangata e koa ana ki nga aitua, e kore e kore te whiua.
6 Old [people] are [usually] proud of [MET] their grandchildren, [just like] children are [usually] proud of their parents.
Hei karauna mo nga koroheke nga tamariki a nga tamariki: na, ko te kororia o nga tamariki ko o ratou matua.
7 Fine/Eloquent speech is not suitable for foolish people to say, just like lies are not suitable for rulers [to say].
E kore te reo rangatira e tau ki te kuware: hore rawa ano hoki te ngutu teka ki te rangatira.
8 People think that a bribe is like a magic stone [to persuade someone to do what they want him to do]; they think that because of the bribe, that person will do whatever they want him to do.
Ko te tangata i te mea homai noa, he kohatu whakapaipai tera ki tana titiro; tona tahuritanga ake ki hea, ki hea, ka whiwhi ki te pai.
9 If you want people to like/love you, forgive them for the wrong things that they do to you. If you continue to remind them about those wrong things, they will no longer be your friends.
Ko te tangata e hipoki ana i te he, e whai ana i te aroha; tena ko te tangata korerorero, e wehewehe ana i nga hoa tupu.
10 Rebuking people who have good sense will accomplish more for them than hitting them 100 times [with a stick].
Ko te ngotonga o te kupu riri ki roto ki te tangata matau, nui atu i to nga whiu kotahi rau ki roto ki te whakaarokore.
11 [Because] wicked people are always trying to cause trouble, someone will be sent to severely punish them.
He whakakeke kau ta te tangata kino e whai ai; no reira ka tukua atu he karere nanakia ki a ia.
12 A mother bear whose cubs have been taken away from her is dangerous, but it is more dangerous to confront a foolish person who is doing something foolish.
Kia tutaki ki te tangata te pea kua tangohia ana kuao; pai atu i te whakaarokore i a ia e wairangi ana.
13 If someone does something evil in return for something good being done to him, evil/trouble will never leave that person’s family.
Ko te tangata e homai ana i te kino hei utu mo te pai, e kore te kino e neke atu i tona whare.
14 Starting a quarrel is like allowing water to start to leak out of a dam; they both need to be stopped before they get worse.
Ko te timatanga o te totohe i rite ki te tangata e tuku ana i te wai kia rere: na reira waiho atu te totohe i te mea kiano i oho te ngangare.
15 There are two things that Yahweh hates: (Condemning innocent [people]/Saying that people who have done nothing wrong must be punished), and declaring that people who have done wicked things should not be punished.
Ko te tangata e whakatika ana i ta te tangata kino, me ia e whakahe ana i ta te tangata tika, he rite tahi taua rua, he mea whakarihariha ki a Ihowa.
16 It is useless to allow foolish people [RHQ] to try to become wise by paying for it, because they do not have enough good sense to become wise.
Hei aha te utu i te ringa o te kuware, hei hoko i te whakaaro nui, kahore nei hoki ona matauranga?
17 Friends love [others] all the time, and relatives are able to help us when we have troubles.
E aroha ana te hoa i nga wa katoa; na, ko te teina, ko te tuakana, i whanau tera mo nga aitua.
18 [If someone borrows money from another person], it is foolish for you to promise [IDM] that you will pay the money back if that other person is unable to pay back the money that he borrowed.
Ko ta te tangata ngakaukore he papaki ringa; kua waiho hei whakakapi turanga i te aroaro o tona hoa.
19 Those who like to sin [also] like to cause strife/trouble; [and] those who build fancy doors in their houses [to show that they are very wealthy] (OR, speak proudly) are inviting disaster.
Ko te tangata e aroha ana ki te nganagare e aroha ana ki te kino; ko te tangata e whakarewa ana i tona kuwaha e rapu ana i te whakangaromanga.
20 Those who (have perverse minds/are always thinking about doing evil things) will not prosper, and disasters will happen to those who always tell lies.
Ko te ngakau parori ke e kore e kite i te pai; ko te tangata he whanoke tona arero ka taka ki te kino.
21 Children who are foolish [soon] cause their parents to be very sad; their parents will not be joyful at all.
Ka whanau he whakaarokore ma tetahi tangata, hei whakapouri tera mona: e kore ano hoki e koa te papa o te poauau.
22 Being cheerful is [like swallowing] good medicine; being discouraged/gloomy [all the time will] (drain away your energy/cause you to become weak) [MTY].
He rongoa pai te ngakau koa; ki te maru ia te wairua, ka maroke nga wheua.
23 Wicked people/judges accept bribes that are given to them secretly, and as a result they do not decide matters justly/fairly.
E tango ana te tangata kino i te mea whakapati i te uma, hei whakapeau ke i nga ara o te whakarite whakawa.
24 Those who have good sense determine to do what is wise, but foolish people are always thinking about many different things [and never decide what they should do].
Kei te aroaro o te tangata matau nga whakaaro nui; kei nga pito ia o te whenua nga kanohi o te whakaarokore.
25 Children who are foolish cause their father to be sad and [also] cause their mother to be very sorrowful.
Ko te tamaiti whakaarokore he mea whakapouri i tona papa, he mea whakakawa i te ngakau o tona whaea.
26 It is not right to force someone who has done nothing wrong to pay a fine; it is wrong to punish good/respected people.
Ehara ano hoki i te mea pai kia whiua te tangata tika, kia patua ranei nga rangatira mo te tika.
27 Those who have good sense do not talk a lot, and those who (control their tempers/keep themselves from becoming very angry) are [truly] wise.
He matauranga to te tangata e tohu ana i ana kupu: a he whakaaro to te tangata i te wairua manawanui.
28 People [may] think that foolish people who do not say anything are wise; if foolish people (do not say anything/keep their mouths shut), others will think that they are [very] intelligent.
Ko te wairangi nei ano, ki te whakarongo puku, ka kiia he whakaaro nui: ki te kokopi ona ngutu, ka kiia ia he tupato.
