¹nekuti izvozvo zvose ndakazvira ngarira nomoyo wangu, kuti ndinzwisise izvozvi zvose, kuti vakarurama navakachenjera vari paruoko rwaMwari, pamwechete namabasa avo; kana kuri kuda kana kuvenga, munhu haazvizivi; zvose zviri mberi kwazvo.

¹For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.

²Zvose zvinoenzanisirwa vose; chinhu chimwe chinoitirwa wakarurama nowakaipawo, wakanaka nowakachena nowane tsvina, anobayira nowasingabayiri, akanaka nomutadzi, anopika nowanotya kupika.

²All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

³Chinhu ichi chakaipa pakati pezvose zvinoitwa pasi pezuva, kuti chinhu chimwe chiitirwe vose; zvirokwazvowo, moyo yavanakomana vavanhu izere nezvakaipa, uye upengo huri mumoyo yavo vachiri vapenyu; shure kwaizvozvo vanoenda kuvakafa.

³This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

⁴nekuti kana munhu achiri pakati pavapenyu vose, achine chinhu chaangatarira; nekuti imbwa mhenyu inopfuura shumba yakafa.

⁴For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

⁵nekuti vapenyu vanoziva kuti vachazofa, asi vakafa havana chavanoziva, kunyange nomubayiro havachina; nekuti havacharangarirwi.

⁵For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

⁶Rudo rwavo, nokuvenga kwavo, negodo ravo, zvose zvanguva zvapera hazvo; havachino mugove nokusingaperi pazvose zvinoitwa pasi pezuva.

⁶Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

⁷Enda zvako, udye zvokudya zvako nomufaro, umwe waini yako nomoyo wakafara; nekuti Mwari atofadzwa namabasa ako.

⁷Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

⁸nguvo dzako dzigare dzakachena, nomusoro wako urege kushaiwa mafuta.

⁸Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.

⁹Gara nomufaro nomukadzi wako, waunoda, mazuva ako ose asina maturo, aakakupa pasi pezuva, mazuva ako ose asina maturo; nekuti ndiwo mugove wako paupenyu, uye pakubata kwako kwaunobata pasi pezuva.

⁹Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.

¹⁰Zvose zvinowana ruoko rwako, kuti ruzviite, uzviite nesimba rako rose; nekuti hakune basa, kana zano, kana zivo, kana uchenjeri paSheori kwaunoenda.

¹⁰Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

¹¹Ndakadzoka, ndikaona pasi pezuva, kuti anomhanyisa haazi iye anokunda pakurwa ane simba haazi iye anokunda pakurwa, akachenjera haazi iye ane zvokudya , vanhu vane njere havazi ivo vane fuma, vanhu vanoumhizha havazi ivo vanofarirwa; asi vanowirwa vose nenguva nezvinoitika.

¹¹I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

¹²nekuti nomunhuwo haazivi nguva yake; sehove, dzinobatwa murutava rwakaipa, kana shiri, dzinobatwa murugombe; saizvozvo vanakomana vavanhu vanoteyiwa nenguva yakaipa, kana yavawira kamwe-kamwe.

¹²For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

¹³Ndakaonawo pasi pezuva uchenjeri hwakadai, ndikati hukuru.

¹³This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:

¹⁴Kwakanga kune guta duku, maiva navarume vashoma; mumwe mambo mukuru akarimukira, akarikomba, akarivakira masvingo makuru okurwa nawo.

¹⁴There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:

¹⁵Zvino mukati maro makawanikwa murombo akanga akachenjera, iye akaponesa guta nouchenjeri hwake; asi hakuna munhu akarangarira munhu uyo murombo.

¹⁵Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

¹⁶Ipapo ndakati, Uchenjeri hunopfuura simba; kunyange zvakadaro uchenjeri hwomurombo hunoshorwa, namashoko ake haateererwi.

¹⁶Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

¹⁷Mashoko avakachenjera, anonzwika kana kwakadzikama, anopfuura kudanidzira komunhu anobata ushe pakati pamapenzi.

¹⁷The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

¹⁸Uchenjeri hunopfuura nhumbi dzokurwa; asi mutadzi mumwe anoparadza zvakanaka zvizhinji.

¹⁸Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.