¹Ipapo Erifazi muTemani akapindura, akati,

¹And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: —

²Ko munhu, ane njere, angapindura nenjere dzisina maturo Nokuzadza dumbu rake nemhepo inobva mabvazuva here?

²Doth a wise man answer [with] vain knowledge? And fill [with] an east wind his belly?

³Angaita nharo nokutaura zvisingabatsire, Kana mashoko aasingagoni kubata basa rakanaka nawo here?

³To reason with a word not useful? And speeches — no profit in them?

⁴Zvirokwazvo iwe unorasha kutya Mwari, Nokukanganisa vanoda kufunga Mwari.

⁴Yea, thou dost make reverence void, And dost diminish meditation before God.

⁵nekuti zvakaipa zvako zvinodzidzisa muromo wako, Unotsaura rurimi rwavanyepedzeri.

⁵For thy mouth teacheth thine iniquity, And thou chooseth the tongue of the subtile.

⁶Muromo wako ndiwo unokupa mhosva, handizini. Zvirokwazvo miromo yako inokupupurira zvakaipa.

⁶Thy mouth declareth thee wicked, and not I, And thy lips testify against thee.

⁷Ko ndiwe wakatanga kuzvarwa kanhi? Kana wakaberekwa makomo asati avapo here?

⁷The first man art thou born? And before the heights wast thou formed?

⁸Iwe wakanzwa mano akavanzika aMwari kanhi? Ndiwe woga wakazviwanira njere kanhi?

⁸Of the secret counsel of God dost thou hear? And withdrawest thou unto thee wisdom?

⁹Unozivei iwe zvatisingaziviwo isu? Unonzwisisei iwe zvisati zviri matiriwo?

⁹What hast thou known, and we know not? Understandest thou — and it is not with us?

¹⁰Vakachena vhudzi navatana vakwegura kwazvo vanesu, Vakapfuura baba vako kwazvo pazero.

¹⁰Both the gray-headed And the very aged [are] among us — Greater than thy father [in] days.

¹¹Ko kunyaradza kwaMwari hakukuringani here, Neshoko rinotaurwa nounyoro kwauri here,

¹¹Too few for thee are the comforts of God? And a gentle word [is] with thee,

¹²moyo wako unokurashirei? Meso ako anobwaireiko?

¹²What — doth thine heart take thee away? And what — are thine eyes high?

¹³Zvaunorwa naMwari nomweya wako, Uchitendera mashoko akadai kubuda pamuromo wako.

¹³For thou turnest against God thy spirit? And hast brought out words from thy mouth:

¹⁴Munhu chinyiko? Angava akanaka sei? Naiye akazvarwa nomukadzi, angava akarurama sei?

¹⁴What [is] man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?

¹⁵Tarira, haatendi vatsvene vake; Zvirokwazvo, kudenga hakuna kunaka pamberi pake.

¹⁵Lo, in His holy ones He putteth no credence, And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.

¹⁶Ndoda munhu anosemesa, akaora, Munhu anomwa zvakaipa semvura.

¹⁶Also — surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking as water perverseness.

¹⁷Ndichakuratidza, chiteerera; Ndichakududzira zvandakaona.

¹⁷I shew thee — hearken to me — And this I have seen and declare:

¹⁸(Zvakarehwa navanhu vakangwara zvavakanzwa kumadzibaba avo, vasina kuzvivanza;

¹⁸Which the wise declare — And have not hid — from their fathers.

¹⁹Ivo vakanga vapiwa nyika voga, Hakuna mutorwa akapinda pakati pavo;)

¹⁹To them alone was the land given, And a stranger passed not over into their midst:

²⁰Munhu akaipa anotambudzika achirwadziwa mazuva ake ose, Iwo makore akatarirwa mumanikidzi.

²⁰`All days of the wicked he is paining himself, And few years have been laid up for the terrible one.

²¹inzwi rezvinotyisa riri munzeve dzake; Muparadzi achamusvikira akafara.

²¹A fearful voice [is] in his ears, In peace doth a destroyer come to him.

²²Haatendi kuti achadzokazve achibva parima, Anovandirwa nomunondo.

²²He believeth not to return from darkness, And watched [is] he for the sword.

²³Unofamba-famba achitsvaka zvokudya, achiti, Zviripiko? Anoziva kuti zuva rerima riri pedo naye,

²³He is wandering for bread — `Where [is] it?` He hath known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.

²⁴Njodzi nokutambudzika zvinomutyisa; Zvinomukunda, samambo akazvigadzirira kurwa.

²⁴Terrify him do adversity and distress, They prevail over him As a king ready for a boaster.

²⁵Nekuti akatambanudzira ruoko rwake kuzorwa naMwari, Akazvikudza pamberi powaMasimbaose;

²⁵For he stretched out against God his hand, And against the Mighty he maketh himself mighty.

²⁶Anomhanyira kwaari anomutsipa mukukutu, Namakwande makobvu enhovo dzake.

²⁶He runneth unto Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.

²⁷Nekuti akafukidza chiso chake namafuta, Akaunganidza mafuta mazhinji pachiuno chake.

²⁷For he hath covered his face with his fat, And maketh vigour over [his] confidence.

²⁸Akagara pamaguta akanga ava matongo, Padzimba dzisina kufanira kugarwa nomunhu, Dzaikarokushanduka matongo.

²⁸And he inhabiteth cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.

²⁹Iye haangavi mufumi, fuma yake haingagari, Nezvibereko zvazvo hazvingaremberi pasi.

²⁹He is not rich, nor doth his wealth rise, Nor doth he stretch out on earth their continuance.

³⁰Haangabvi parima; Murazvo womoto uchawomesa matavi ake, Uchabviswa nomweya womuromo waMwari.

³⁰He turneth not aside from darkness, His tender branch doth a flame dry up, And he turneth aside at the breath of His mouth!

³¹Ngaarege kuvimba nezvisina maturo, achizvinyengera, nekuti mubairo wake uchava zvisina maturo.

³¹Let him not put credence in vanity, He hath been deceived, For vanity is his recompence.

³²Zvichaitwa nguva yake isinokusvika, davi rake haringavi nyoro.

³²Not in his day is it completed, And his bending branch is not green.

³³Achazuka mazambiringa ake agere kuibva somuzambiringa, Uchazuka maruva ake somuorivhi.

³³He shaketh off as a vine his unripe fruit, And casteth off as an olive his blossom.

³⁴Nekuti ungano yavasingadi Mwari haingabereki, Moto uchapedza matende avafufuri.

³⁴For the company of the profane [is] gloomy, And fire hath consumed tents of bribery.

³⁵Vane mimba yezvakashata, vanobereka zvakaipa, Dumbu ravo rinogadzira kunyengera.

³⁵To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart doth prepare deceit.