¹Kune chinhu chakaipa chandakaona pasi pezuva, chinoremedza vanhu.

¹There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it [is] great on man:

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 giveth wealth, and riches, and honour, and there is no lack to his soul of all that he desireth, and God giveth him not power to eat of it, 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 doth beget a hundred, and live many years, and is great, because they are the days of his years, and his soul is not satisfied from the goodness, and also he hath not had a grave, I have said, `Better than he [is] the untimely birth.`

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

⁴For in vanity he came in, and in darkness he goeth, and in darkness his name is covered,

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

⁵Even the sun he hath not seen nor known, more rest hath this than that.

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

⁶And though he had lived a thousand years twice over, yet good he hath not seen; to the same place doth not every one go?

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

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

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

⁸For what advantage [is] to the wise above the fool? What to the poor who 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 going of the soul. This also [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.

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

¹⁰What [is] that which hath been? already is its name called, and it is known that it [is] man, and he is not able to contend with him who is stronger than he.

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

¹¹For there are many things multiplying vanity; what advantage [is] to man?

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 a man in life, the number of the days of the life of his vanity, and he maketh them as a shadow? for who declareth to man what is after him under the sun?