¹My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

¹Mwanakomana wangu, kana ukagamuchira mashoko angu, Nokuchengeta mirairo yangu kwauri;

²So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

²Kuti urerekere nzeve yako iteerere uchenjeri, Nokurwadza moyo wako, kuti unzwisise;

³Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

³Kana ukachemera kunzwisisa, Ukadanidzira nenzwi rako kuti uwane njere;

⁴If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

⁴Zvirokwazvo kana ukahutsvaka sesirivha, Ukahutsvakisisa sefuma yakavanzwa;

⁵Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

⁵Ipapo uchanzwisisa kutya Jehovha, Nokuwana zivo yaMwari.

⁶For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

⁶nekuti Jehovha ndiye anopa uchenjeri; Mumuromo make munobuda zivo nenjere,

⁷He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

⁷Unovigira vakarurama uchenjeri chaihwo; Ndiye nhovo yavanofamba muzvokwadi;

⁸He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

⁸nekuti anorinda makwara okururamisa, Nokuchengeta nzira yavatsvene vake.

⁹Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

⁹Ipapo uchanzwisisa kururama nokururamisa, Nokutendeka, idzo nzira dzose dzakanaka.

¹⁰When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

¹⁰nekuti uchenjeri huchapinda mumoyo mako, Zivo ichafadza mweya wako;

¹¹Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

¹¹Kungwara kuchakurindira, Njere dzichakuchengeta;

¹²To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;

¹²Zvikurwire panzira yezvakaipa, Napavanhu vanotaura zvisakarurama;

¹³Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

¹³Vanorasha makwara okururama, Kuti vafambe nenzira dzerima;

¹⁴Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

¹⁴Vanofarira kuita zvakaipa, Vanofadzwa nokunyengera kwezvakaipa.

¹⁵Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

¹⁵Vane nzira dzakaminama, Vanotsauka pamakwara avo;

¹⁶To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

¹⁶Kuti zvikurwire kumukadzi wokumwe, Kumukadzi mutorwa, anobata kumeso namashoko ake.

¹⁷Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

¹⁷Iye, anorasha shamwari youduku hwake, Achikangamwa sungano yaMwari wake.

¹⁸For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

¹⁸nekuti imba yake inonyura kurufu, Nenzira dzake kuvakafa;

¹⁹None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

¹⁹Hakuna anopinda kwaari anozodzokazve; Havasviki panzira dzoupenyu;

²⁰That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

²⁰Kuti ufambe nenzira yavakanaka, Uchengete makwara avakarurama.

²¹For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

²¹nekuti vakarurama vachagara panyika, Vakakwana vachafambirapo.

²²But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

²²Asi vakaipa vachaparadzwa panyika; Vanoita nokunyengedzera vachadzurwapo.