¹Zvino iwe, imba mariro pamusoro pamachinda aIsiraeri,

¹And thou, lift up a lamentation unto princes of Israel,

²uti, Mai vako vaiva aniko? Vaiva shumbakadzi, yaivata pakati peshumba, ichirera vana vayo pakati peshumba duku.

²and thou hast said: What [is] thy mother? — a lioness, Among lions she hath crouched down, In the midst of young lions she hath multiplied her whelps.

³Zvino yakarera mumwe mwana wayo, ikava shumba duku, ikadzidza kubata zvaingauraya, ikapedza vanhu.

³And she bringeth up one of her whelps, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath devoured.

⁴Marudzi avanhu akainzwawo ikabatwa muhuzha yavo, vakaiisa kunyika yeEgipita.

⁴And hear of it do nations, In their pit it hath been caught, And they bring it in with chains unto the land of Egypt.

⁵Zvino yakati ichiona kuti yanyengerwa, kuti tariro yanyangarika, ikatorazve mumwe mwana wayo, ikaiita shumba duku.

⁵And she seeth, that stayed — perished hath her hope, And she taketh one of her whelps, A young lion she hath made it.

⁶Iyo ikafamba-famba pakati peshumba; ikava shumba duku, ikadzidza kubata zvaingauraya, ikapedza vanhu.

⁶And it goeth up and down in the midst of lions, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath devoured.

⁷Ikaziva dzimba dzavo dzohushe, ikaparadza maguta avo; nyika nezvose zvayo ikava dongo, nokuda kokuwomba kwayo.

⁷And it knoweth his forsaken habitations, And their cities it hath laid waste, And desolate is the land and its fulness, Because of the voice of his roaring.

⁸Ipapo marudzi avanhu venyika dzakapoteredza akarwa nayo, vakakandira mumbure wavo pamusoro payo, ikabatwa muhuzha yavo.

⁸And set against it do nations Round about from the provinces. And they spread out for it their net, In their pit it hath been caught.

⁹Vakaiisa muchirugu chine zvikokovonho, vakandoiisa kuna mambo weBhabhironi; vakaiisa munhare, kuti inzwi rayo rirege kuzonzwikwa pamakomo alsiraeri.

⁹And they put it in prison — in chains, And they bring it unto the king of Babylon, They bring it in unto bulwarks, So that its voice is not heard any more On mountains of Israel.

¹⁰Mai vako vakanga vakaita somuzambiringa, panguva yokuzorora kwako, wakange wakasimwa pamvura;wakabereka zvakanaka, una matavi mazhinji, nokuda kwemvura zhinji.

¹⁰Thy mother [is] as a vine in thy blood by waters planted, Fruitful and full of boughs it hath been, Because of many waters.

¹¹Ukava namatanda makobvu okuita tsvimbo dzavaibata hushe, musoro wawo ukakwirira kumusoro pakati pamatavi makobvu, ukaonekwa kumusoro-soro pamwechete namashizha awo mazhinji.

¹¹And it hath strong rods for sceptres of rulers, And high is its stature above thick branches, And it appeareth in its height In the multitude of its thin shoots.

¹²Asi wakadzurwa nehasha, ukakandirwa pasi, mhepo inobva mabvazuva ikaomesa michero yawo, matanda awo makobvu akavuniwa, ndokuoma, moto ukaapedza.

¹²And it is plucked up in fury, To the earth it hath been cast, And the east wind hath dried up its fruit, Broken and withered hath been the rod of its strength, Fire hath consumed it.

¹³Zvino wasimwa murenje, munyika yakaoma ine nyota.

¹³And now — it is planted in a wilderness, In a land dry and thirsty.

¹⁴Moto wabuda padanda ramatavi awo, ukapedza michero yawo, hapachine danda rine simba ringaita tsvimbo yokubata ushe. Awa ndiwo mariro, uye achazova mariro.

¹⁴And go forth doth fire from a rod of its boughs, Its fruit it hath devoured, And it hath no rod of strength — a sceptre to rule, Lamentation it [is] — and it is for a lamentation!`