¹Ipapo Erifazi muTemani akapindura, akati,

¹And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: —

²Ko munhu angabatsira Mwari here? Zvirokwazvo, munhu, akangwara, anozvibatsira hake amene.

²To God is a man profitable, Because a wise man to himself is profitable?

³waMasimbaose une hanya nokururama kwako here? Iye angabatsirwa nazvo kana iwe ukakwanisa nzira dzako here?

³Is it a delight to the Mighty One That thou art righteous? is it gain, That thou makest perfect thy ways?

⁴Iye anokuraira zvaunomutya here? Kuti akutonge here?

⁴Because of thy reverence Doth He reason [with] thee? He entereth with thee into judgment:

⁵Zvakaipa zvako hazvizakakura here? Zvisina kururama zvako hazviperi.

⁵Is not thy wickedness abundant? And there is no end to thine iniquities.

⁶nekuti wakatora rubatso kuhama yako pasina Wakakusunungura nguvo dzavakanga vasina kufuka.

⁶For thou takest a pledge of thy brother for nought, And the garments of the naked Thou dost strip off.

⁷Hauna kupa vane nyota mvura kuti vamwe, Wakanyima vane nzara zvokudya.

⁷Thou causest not the weary to drink water, And from the hungry thou withholdest bread.

⁸Asi munhu ane simba, nyika ndeyake; Munhu anokudzwa, ndiye akagara mairi.

⁸As to the man of arm — he hath the earth, And the accepted of face — he dwelleth in it.

⁹Akadzinga chirikadzi dzisine chinhu, Maoko enherera akavhuniwa.

⁹Widows thou hast sent away empty, And the arms of the fatherless are bruised.

¹⁰Saka iwe wakapotedzwa nemisungo, Unovhunduswa pakarepo nokutya.

¹⁰Therefore round about thee [are] snares, And trouble thee doth fear suddenly.

¹¹Nerima, kuti arege kuona, Uye mvura zhinji inokufukidza.

¹¹Or darkness — thou dost not see, And abundance of waters doth cover thee.

¹²Ko Mwari haazi kudenga kumusoro-soro here? Tarira kukwirira kwenyeredzi, dzakakwirira sei!

¹²Is not God high [in] heaven? And see the summit of the stars, That they are high.

¹³Iwe unoti, Mwari unoziveiko? Ungagona kutonga pakati perima guru here?

¹³And thou hast said, `What — hath God known? Through thickness doth He judge?

¹⁴Makore matema akamufukidza, haagoni kuona; Unofamba pakutenderera kwedenga.

¹⁴Thick clouds [are] a secret place to Him, And He doth not see;` And the circle of the heavens He walketh habitually,

¹⁵Iwe unoda kuramba uchifamba, nenzira yekare. Yakatsikwa navanhu vakaipa here?

¹⁵The path of the age dost thou observe, That men of iniquity have trodden?

¹⁶Ivo vakabvutwa nguva yavo isati yasvika; Nheyo dzavo dzakadururwa sorukova rwemvura.

¹⁶Who have been cut down unexpectedly, A flood is poured out on their foundation.

¹⁷Ivo vakati kuna Mwari, Ibvai kwatiri; Uye, waMasimbaose angatiiteiko?

¹⁷Those saying to God, `Turn aside from us,` And what doth the Mighty One to them?

¹⁸Kunyange zvakadaro wakazadza dzimba dzavo nezvakanaka; Asi mano avakaipa ari kure neni.

¹⁸And he hath filled their houses [with] good: (And the counsel of the wicked Hath been far from me.)

¹⁹Vakarurama vanozviona, vakafara; Vasine mhosva vanovaseka, .

¹⁹See do the righteous and they rejoice, And the innocent mocketh at them,

²⁰Vachiti: Zvirokwazvo vakatimukira vakaparadzwa; Zvakasara zvavo zvakapedzwa nomoto.

²⁰`Surely our substance hath not been cut off, And their excellency hath fire consumed.`

²¹Shamwaridzana naye zvino, uve norugare; Ipapo uchaitirwa zvakanaka.

²¹Acquaint thyself, I pray thee, with Him, And be at peace, Thereby thine increase [is] good.

²²Gamuchira hako murairo womuromo wake, Uchengete mashoko ake mumoyo mako.

²²Receive, I pray thee, from His mouth a law, And set His sayings in thy heart.

²³Kana ukadzokera kuno waMasimbaose, uchavakwa; Kana ukabvisa zvisakarurama kure namatende ako.

²³If thou dost return unto the Mighty Thou art built up, Thou puttest iniquity far from thy tents.

²⁴Isa fuma yako paguruva, Nendarama yeOfiri pakati pamabwe ehova;

²⁴So as to set on the dust a defence, And on a rock of the valleys a covering.

²⁵Ipapo waMasimbaose achava ndarama yako, Nesirivha zhinji kwazvo kwauri.

²⁵And the Mighty hath been thy defence, And silver [is] strength to thee.

²⁶Nekuti ipapo uchafarira waMasimbaose, Uchasimudzira chiso chako kuna Mwari.

²⁶For then on the Mighty thou delightest thyself, And dost lift up unto God thy face,

²⁷Uchanyengetera kwaari, iye achakunzwa; Uye acharipa mhiko dzako.

²⁷Thou dost make supplication unto Him, And He doth hear thee, And thy vows thou completest.

²⁸Uchatemawo chirevo, chikasimbiswa kwauri; Uye chiedza chichavhenekera nzira dzako.

²⁸And thou decreest a saying, And it is established to thee, And on thy ways hath light shone.

²⁹Kana vakakusundira pasi, uchati, Ndichasimudzwa; Iye uchaponesa munhu anozvininipisa.

²⁹For they have made low, And thou sayest, `Lift up.` And the bowed down of eyes he saveth.

³⁰Iye acharwira nyangwe nomunhu ane mhaka, Zvirokwazvo ucharwirwa iye nokuchena kwamaoko ako.

³⁰He delivereth the not innocent, Yea, he hath been delivered By the cleanness of thy hands.