¹Kune chinhu chakaipa chandakaona pasi pezuva, chinoremedza vanhu.

¹There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

²Munhu anopiwa naMwari fuma nezvakawanda nokukudzwa, saizvozvo kuti mweya wake hautongoshaiwi chinhu chaanoda; asi Mwari haamupi simba rokudya izvozvo; asi mutorwa anozvidya, ichi hachina maturo, ihosha yakaipa.

²A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³Kana munhu akabereka vana vane zana, akararama makore mazhinji, mazuva amakore ake akava mazhinji, asi mweya wake asingagutswi nezvakanaka, uyezve akasavigwa zvakanaka, ndinoti mwana wakaberekwa nguva isati yasvika anopfuura iye;

³If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

⁴nekuti anouya asina maturo, anoendazve murima, zita rake rinofukidzwa nerima;

⁴For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

⁵uyezve, haana kuona zuva kana kuriziva; mwana akadai ane zororo kupfuura iye.

⁵Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.

⁶Zvirokwazvo, kunyange akararama makore ane zviuru zviviri zvamazana, asingafariri zvinhu zvakanaka, ko vose havaendi kunzvimbo imwe here?

⁶Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

⁷Kubata kose komunhu kunoitirwa muromo wake; kunyange zvakadaro kuda kwake zvokudya hakugutswi.

⁷All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸nekuti akachenjera anokurira benzi nei? Kana murombo anei, iye anoziva kufamba zvakanaka pamberi pavapenyu.

⁸For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

⁹Kuona kwameso kunopfuura kutsvakatsvaka komweya. Naizvozvowo hazvina maturo, ndiko kudzingana nemhepo chete.

⁹Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

¹⁰Chinhu chipi nechipi, chakavapo, chakanguva chapiwa zita racho, zvakatarwa kuti munhu achava akadini, haangarwi nowanomupfuura nesimba.

¹⁰That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he.

¹¹nekuti mashoko mazhinji ariko, anowedzera zvisina maturo; munhu anobatsirwei nazvo?

¹¹Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?

¹²nekuti ndiani anoziva zvakafanira munhu paupenyu hwake, iwo mazuva ose oupenyu hwake husina maturo, anorarama somumvuri? nekuti ndiani angaudza munhu zvichazomutevera pasi pezuva?

¹²For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?