1Ko 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,2ā, 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.3He 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.4Nā, whakaaroa te nui o tēnei tangata i hoatu nei ki a ia e te tupuna nui, e Āperahama, ngā whakatekau o ngā taonga parakete.5Ko 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.6Ko 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.7E kore rawa ia tēnei e taea te whakateka, arā ko te mea iti e manaakitia ana e te mea nui.8I konei e riro ana ngā whakatekau i ngā tāngata, he matemate nei; i reira ia, i tērā e kīia nei kei te ora ia.9Me pēnei anō te kī, ko Rīwai e tango whakatekau nei, hoatu ana e ia he whakatekau i tā Āperahama meatanga rā.10I roto tonu hoki ia i te hope o tōna pāpā i te tūtakitanga o Merekihereke ki a ia.11Nā, 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 kīia ai i runga i tō Ārona ritenga?12Ka whakaputaia kētia nei hoki te mahi tohunga, ina kua puta kē anō hoki te ture.13Ko te tangata hoki mōna ēnei kōrero, he hapū kē tōna, kāhore nei tētahi o rātou i whakatata ki te āta.14He 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
15Ā, ka tino mārama rawa tā mātou i kōrero ai, ina whakatika ake tētahi atu tohunga i te ritenga o Merekihereke;16ko 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.17Kua whakaaturia mai nei hoki e ia:“Hei tohunga koe ake akei runga i te ritenga o Merekihereke.”18Kua 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.20Nā, kīhai nei i mahue te oati;21ko 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 akei runga i te ritenga o Merekihereke.’ ”22Koia i nui kē ai te pai o te kawenata ko Īhu nei tōna kaiwhakamau.23He tokomaha hoki rātou i whakatohungatia, tā te mea kīhai i tukua e te mate kia tū tonu;24ko tēnei ia, e mau tonu ana ake ake, e kore anō e puta kē tāna mahi tohunga.25Nā, 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.26He pai rawa hoki tēnei tū tohunga nui mō tātou, te tapu, te kinokore, te poke kore, he mea motu kē i te hunga hara, kua whakanekehia ake anō hoki ki runga ake i ngā rangi.27Kāhore 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.28Ko 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.