Hiperu 7 - Te Kawenata Hou

Te Tohunga Merekihereke

¹ Ko tēnei Merekihereke hoki, kīngi o Harema, tohu­nga o te Atua o te Runga Rawa, i tūtaki nei ki a Āperahama i a ia e hoki ana i te patu­nga i ngā kīngi, i manaaki nei i a ia,

² ā, hoatu ana e Āperahama ki a ia ngā whaka­tekau o ngā mea katoa. Ko te whaka­māori­tanga o tōna ingoa i te tua­tahi ko “te Kīngi o te tika”, i tō muri hoki ko te Kīngi o Harema, arā ko “te Kīngi o te rangi­mārie.”

³ He mea matua­kore, whaea­kore, kāhore nei ōna whaka­papa tūpuna, kāhore he tīma­tanga o ōna rā, kāhore he mutu­nga o tōna ora; he tangata kua whaka­ritea ki te Tama a te Atua, mau tonu ana ia hei tohu­nga.

⁴ Nā, whaka­aroa te nui o tēnei tangata i hoatu nei ki a ia e te tupuna nui, e Āperahama, ngā whaka­tekau o ngā taonga para­kete.

⁵ Ko ngā tama hoki a Rīwai, arā ngā mea kua riro nei i a rātou te mahi tohu­nga, he ture kei a rātou kia tango­hia tā te ture i whaka­rite ai, ngā whaka­tekau a te iwi, he mea nā ō rātou tēina i puta mai nei anō i te hope o Āperahama.

⁶ Ko tēnei tangata ia, ehara nei i te mea nō tō rātou kāwai, riro ana i a ia ngā whaka­tekau a Āperahama, ā, manaaki­tia ana e ia te tangata i a ia nei ngā kupu whaka­ari.

⁷ E kore rawa ia tēnei e taea te whaka­teka, arā ko te mea iti e manaaki­tia ana e te mea nui.

⁸ I konei e riro ana ngā whaka­tekau i ngā tāngata, he mate­mate nei; i reira ia, i tērā e kīa nei kei te ora ia.

⁹ Me pēnei anō te kī, ko Rīwai e tango whaka­tekau nei, hoatu ana e ia he whaka­tekau i tā Āperahama mea­tanga rā.

¹⁰ I roto tonu hoki ia i te hope o tōna pāpā i te tū­taki­tanga o Merekihereke ki a ia.

¹¹ Nā, ki te mea nā tā te Rīwai mahi tohu­nga i tino rite ai, ā, i nā runga hoki i tērā te riro­nga o te ture i te iwi, he aha atu te mea e whaka­tika ake ai tētahi atu tohu­nga i runga i tō Merekihereke rite­nga; tē kīa ai i runga i tō Ārona rite­nga?

¹² Ka whaka­putaia kētia nei hoki te mahi tohu­nga, ina kua puta kē anō hoki te ture.

¹³ Ko te tangata hoki mōna ēnei kōrero, he hapū kē tōna, kāhore nei tētahi o rātou i whaka­tata ki te āta.

¹⁴ He mea takoto mārama hoki tēnei, i puta ake tō tātou Ariki i roto i a Hūrā; hore rawa he kupu a Mohi mō te mahi tohu­nga a tērā iwi.

Tētahi atu Tohunga i te Ritenga o Merekihereke

¹⁵ Ā, ka tino mārama rawa tā mātou i kōrero ai, ina whaka­tika ake tētahi atu tohu­nga i te rite­nga o Merekihereke;

¹⁶ ko tōna whaka­tohunga­tanga nei hoki ehara i te mea nō runga i te ture o ngā tikanga o te kiko­kiko, engari nō runga i te kaha o te ora e kore e mutu.

¹⁷ Kua whaka­atu­ria mai nei hoki e ia, “Hei tohu­nga koe ake ake i runga i te rite­nga o Merekihereke.”

¹⁸ Kua whaka­kāhore­tia hoki te ture i whaka­takoto­ria i mua, nō te mea kāhore ōna kaha, kāhore ōna hua,

¹⁹ kāhore hoki he mea i tino tika i te ture; kua mauria mai anō he mea e hira ake ai te tū­mana­ko, nā reira nei tātou ka whaka­tata atu ki te Atua.

²⁰ Nā, kīhai nei i mahue te oati;

²¹ ko ērā hoki kāhore he oati i tō rātou whaka­tohunga­tanga; he oati ia i tō tēnei, nā tērā i kī mai rā ki a ia: “Kua oati te Ariki, ā, e kore e puta kē tōna whaka­aro: ‘Hei tohu­nga koe ake ake i runga i te rite­nga o Merekihereke.’ ”

²² Koia i nui kē ai te pai o te kawe­nata ko Īhu nei tōna kai­whaka­mau.

²³ He toko­maha hoki rātou i whaka­tohunga­tia, tā te mea kīhai i tukua e te mate kia tū tonu;

²⁴ ko tēnei ia, e mau tonu ana ake ake, e kore anō e puta kē tāna mahi tohu­nga.

²⁵ Nā, e taea anō e ia te tino whaka­ora te hunga e nā runga atu ana i a ia ki te Atua; e ora tonu ana hoki ia hei īnoi mō rātou.

²⁶ He pai rawa hoki tēnei tū tohu­nga nui mō tātou, te tapu, te kino­kore, te poke­kore, he mea motu kē i te hunga hara, kua whaka­neke­hia ake anō hoki ki runga ake i ngā rangi.

²⁷ Kāhore āna mea e pērā ai ia me ngā tohu­nga nui, e whaka­eke patu­nga tapu ai ia i ia rā, mō ōna hara ake i te tua­tahi, muri iho mō o te iwi; kotahi tonu hoki tāna mea­tanga i tēnei, i tāna whaka­eke­nga atu i a ia ake.

²⁸ Ko ngā tohu­nga nui hoki e whaka­tū­ria ana e te ture, he tāngata e pēhia ana e te ngoi­kore; ko tā te kupu ia o te oati, i muri nei i te ture, ko te Tama kua oti nei te mea kia tino tika ake ake.