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

¹Keep thy feet when thou goest unto a house of God, and draw near to hear rather than to give of fools the sacrifice, for they do not know 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.

²Cause not thy mouth to hasten, and let not thy heart hasten to bring out a word before God, for God is in the heavens, and thou on the earth, therefore let thy words be few.

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

³For the dream hath come by abundance of business, and the voice of a fool by abundance of words.

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

⁴When thou vowest a vow to God, delay not to complete it, for there is no pleasure in fools; that which thou vowest — complete.

⁵Zviri nani kuti urege kupika, pakuti upike usingaripi.

⁵Better that thou do not vow, than that thou dost vow and dost not complete.

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, nor say before the messenger, that `it [is] an error,` why is God wroth because of thy voice, and hath destroyed the work of thy hands?

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

⁷For, in the abundance of dreams both vanities and words abound; 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 oppression of the poor, and violent taking away of judgment and righteousness thou seest in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for a higher than the high is observing, and high ones [are] over them.

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

⁹And the abundance of a land is for all. A king for a field is served.

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

¹⁰Whoso is loving silver is not satisfied [with] silver, nor he who is in love with stores [with] increase. Even this [is] vanity.

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

¹¹In the multiplying of good have its consumers been multiplied, and what benefit [is] to its possessor except the sight of his eyes?

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

¹²Sweet [is] the sleep of the labourer whether he eat little or much; and the sufficiency of the wealthy is not suffering him to sleep.

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

¹³There is a painful evil I have seen under the sun: wealth kept for its possessor, for his evil.

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

¹⁴And that wealth hath been lost in an evil business, and he hath begotten 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 out from the belly of his mother, naked he turneth back to go as he came, and he taketh not away anything of his labour, that doth go in his hand.

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

¹⁶And this also [is] a painful evil, just as he came, so he goeth, and what advantage [is] to him who laboureth for wind?

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

¹⁷Also all his days in darkness he consumeth, and sadness, and wrath, and sickness abound.

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.

¹⁸Lo, that which I have seen: [It is] good, because beautiful, to eat, and to drink, and to see good in all one`s labour that he laboureth at under the sun, the number of the days of his life that God hath given to 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 wealth and riches, and hath given him power to eat of it, and to accept his portion, and to rejoice in his labour, this is a gift of God.

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

²⁰For he doth not much remember the days of his life, for God is answering through the joy of his heart.