¹Ngwarira rutsoka rwako kana uchienda kuimba yaMwari; nekuti kuswedera kuzonzwa kunopfuura kubayira chibayiro chamapenzi; nekuti havazivi kuti vanoita zvakaipa.

¹Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

²Usakurumidza nomuromo wako, moyo wako urege kukurumidza kutaura shoko pamberi paMwari; nekuti Mwari ari kudenga, iwe uri pasi; naizvozvo mashoko ako ngaave mashoma.

²Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

³nekuti kurota kunouya namabasa mazhinji, nenzwi rebenzi namashoko mazhinji.

³For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.

⁴Kana uchinge wapikira Mwari mhiko, usanonoka kuiripa; nekuti iye haafariri mapenzi; ripa zvaunopika.

⁴When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

⁵Zviri nani kuti urege kupika, pakuti upike usingaripi.

⁵Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

⁶Usatendera muromo wako kutadzisa nyama yako; usati pamberi pomutumwa waMwari, Yakanga iri mhosho; Mwari achatsamwireiko inzwi rako,akaparadza basa ramaoko ako?

⁶Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

⁷nekuti pazviroto zvizhinji napamashoko mazhinji pane zvisina maturo zvizhinji; asi iwe utye Mwari.

⁷For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

⁸Kana uchiona murombo achimanikidzwa, nokururamisa nokururama zvichibviswa nesimba panyika, usashamiswa nazvo; nekuti mukuru kuvakuru vose anocherekedza; vamwe variko vakuru kwavari.

⁸If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.

⁹nekuti nyika inobatsirwa zvikuru nechinhu ichi, mambo anofarira kurimiwa kweminda.

⁹Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.

¹⁰Anoda sirivha, haangagutswi nesirivha, naiye anoda zvakawanda, haangagutswi nezvakawanda; naizvozvo hazvina maturo.

¹⁰He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

¹¹Kana fuma ichiwanda, vadyi vanowandawo; mwene wayo anobatsirwei, asi kungoona nameso ake.

¹¹When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

¹²Hope dzomunhu, unobata, dzakanaka, kana achidya zvishoma kana zvizhinji; asi kuguta komufumi hakumutenderi kuvata.

¹²The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

¹³Kune chinhu chakaisvoipa, chandakaona pasi pezuva, fuma inochengetwa nomwene wayo, ichimuonesa nhamo.

¹³There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

¹⁴fuma iyo inopera nechinhu chakaipa chinomuwira; kana achinge abereka mwanakomana, haana chinhu muruoko rwake.

¹⁴But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵Sezvaakabuda mudumbu ramai vake, achadzokazve asina chinhu, sezvaakabuda; haana chaakatamburira, chaangatora, chaangaenda nacho muruoko rwake.

¹⁵As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶Nechinhu ichi chakaisvoipawo, kuti pazvose, sezvaakauya, saizvozvo achaendazve; zvino achawaneiko, zvaakatamburira mhepo?

¹⁶And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

¹⁷Mazuva ake osewo anodya murima, anotambudzika kwazvo; anourwere neshungu.

¹⁷All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

¹⁸Tarirai, zvandakaona kuti zvakanaka, zvinofanira munhu, ndiko kuti adye, amwe, afarire zvinhu zvakanaka pakubata kwake kose kwaanobata pasi pezuva, mazuva ose oupenyu hwake hwaakapiwa naMwari; nekuti ndiwo mugove wake.

¹⁸Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

¹⁹Munhu mumwe nomumwewo, akapiwa naMwari fuma nezvakawanda, akapiwawo simba kuti azvidye nokutora icho chipo chinobva kuna Mwari.

¹⁹Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

²⁰nekuti iye haangarangariri zvikuru mazuva oupenyu hwake, nekuti Mwari anopindura pamufaro womoyo wake.

²⁰For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.