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.

¹But all this I have laid unto my heart, so as to clear up the whole of this, that the righteous and the wise, and their works, [are] in the hand of God, neither love nor hatred doth man know, the whole [is] before them.

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

²The whole [is] as to the whole; one event is to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean, and to him who is sacrificing, and to him who is not sacrificing; as [is] the good, so [is] the sinner, he who is swearing as he who is fearing 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 that hath been done under the sun, that one event [is] to all, and also the heart of the sons of man is full of evil, and madness [is] in their heart during their life, and after it — unto the dead.

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

⁴But [to] him who is joined unto all the living there is confidence, for to a living dog it [is] better than to the dead lion.

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

⁵For the living know that they die, and the dead know not anything, and there is no more to them a reward, for their remembrance hath been forgotten.

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

⁶Their love also, their hatred also, their envy also, hath already perished, and they have no more a portion to the age in all that hath been done under the sun.

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

⁷Go, eat with joy thy bread, and drink with a glad heart thy wine, for already hath God been pleased with thy works.

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

⁸At all times let thy garments be white, and let not perfume be lacking on thy head.

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.

⁹See life with the wife whom thou hast loved, all the days of the life of thy vanity, that He hath given to thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity, for it [is] thy portion in life, even of thy labour that thou art labouring at under the sun.

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

¹⁰All that thy hand findeth to do, with thy power do, for there is no work, and device, and knowledge, and wisdom in Sheol whither thou art going.

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 have turned so as to see under the sun, that not to the swift [is] the race, nor to the mighty the battle, nor even to the wise bread, nor even to the intelligent wealth, nor even to the skilful grace, for time and chance happen with 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 even man knoweth not his time; as fish that are taken hold of by an evil net, and as birds that are taken hold of by a snare, like these [are] the sons of man snared at an evil time, when it falleth upon them suddenly.

¹³Ndakaonawo pasi pezuva uchenjeri hwakadai, ndikati hukuru.

¹³This also I have seen: wisdom under the sun, and it is great to me.

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

¹⁴A little city, and few men in it, and a great king hath come unto it, and hath surrounded it, and hath built against it great bulwarks;

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

¹⁵and there hath been found in it a poor wise man, and he hath delivered the city by his wisdom, and men have not remembered that poor man!

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

¹⁶And I said, `Better [is] wisdom than might, and the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard.` —

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

¹⁷The words of the wise in quiet are heard, More than the cry of a ruler over fools.

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

¹⁸Better [is] wisdom than weapons of conflict, And one sinner destroyeth much good!