¹My son, attend unto my wisdom, incline thine ear to my understanding;

¹Mwanakomana wangu, teerera uchenjeri hwangu; Rerekera nzeve yako inzwe njere dzangu;

²that thou mayest keep reflection, and that thy lips may preserve knowledge.

²Kuti ugare wakabata kungwara, Nemiromo yako ichengete zivo.

³For the lips of the strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil;

³nekuti miromo yomukadzi wokumwe inodonha huchi; Muromo wake unotedza kupfuura mafuta;

⁴but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

⁴Asi pakupedzisira unovava segavakava; Unopinza somunondo une nhivi mbiri dzinocheka.

⁵Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on Sheol.

⁵Tsoka dzake dzinoburukira kurufu; Nhambwe dzake dzinovavarira kuhwiro;

⁶Lest she should ponder the path of life, her ways wander, she knoweth not [whither].

⁶Gwara roupenyu, rakati chechetere, haariwani, Nzira dzake dzinotsauka, iye asingazvizivi.

⁷And now, children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

⁷Saka imi, vanakomana vangu, nditeererei; Regai kutsauka pamashoko omuromo wangu.

⁸Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

⁸Nzira yako ngaive kure naye, Usaswedera pamukova weimba yake.

⁹lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel;

⁹Kuti urege kupa vamwe kunaka kohujaya hwako, Namakore ako kuno anomoyo mukukutu;

¹⁰lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and the fruits of thy toil [come] into the house of a stranger;

¹⁰Kuti vatorwa varege kugutswa nefuma yako, Nezvibereko zvokutambura kwako zviende kumba komweni.

¹¹and thou mourn in thine end, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed;

¹¹Iwe ugochema pakupedzisira kwako, Kana nyama yako nomuviri wako zvaparadzwa,

¹²and thou say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof!

¹²Uchiti, Ndakavengereiko kurairirwa, moyo wangu wakashorerei kurairwa?

¹³and I have not hearkened unto the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to those that instructed me;

¹³Ndakaregereiko kuteerera inzwi ravadzidzisi vangu, Nokusarerekera nzeve yangu kuna vaindiraira?

¹⁴I was well nigh in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

¹⁴Ndakanga ndapinda pane zvakaipa zvose, Pakati pechaunga neungano.

¹⁵Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

¹⁵Imwa mvura padziva rako chairo, Nemvura inoyerera patsime rako chairo.

¹⁶Thy fountains shall be poured forth, as water-brooks in the broadways.

¹⁶Ko matsime ako anofanira kuparadzirwa here, Nzizi dzemvura dziyerere munzira dzomumusha here?

¹⁷Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.

¹⁷Ngazvive zvako woga, Zvisava zvavatorwa pamwechete newe.

¹⁸Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth.

¹⁸Tsime rako ngariropafadzwe; Ufarire mukadzi wohujaya hwako.

¹⁹As a lovely hind and a graceful roe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times: be thou ravished continually with her love.

¹⁹Sehadzi yenondo yakanaka, nehadzi yengururu inofadza; Mazamu ake ngaakufadze nguva dzose; Ugare uchigutiswa norudo rwake.

²⁰And why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

²⁰nekuti iwe, mwanakomana wangu, uchagutsirweiko nomukadzi wokumwe, Uchambundikireiko chipfuva chomweni?

²¹For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah, and he pondereth all his paths.

²¹nekuti nzira dzomunhu dziri pamberi paJehovha; Ndiye anoyera makwara ake ose.

²²His own iniquities shall take the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.

²²Zvivi zvake zvichabata muiti wazvo, Achabatwa namabote ezvivi zvake.

²³He shall die for want of discipline; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

²³Achafa nokushaiwa kurairirwa; Achatsauka noukuru hwoupenzi hwake.