¹Ndakaita sungano nameso angu, Zvino ndingatarira musikana seiko?

¹A covenant I made for mine eyes, And what — do I attend to a virgin?

²nekuti mugove waMwari unobva kumusoro ndeweiko, Nemhaka yowaMasimbaose inobva kudenga ndeyeiko?

²And what [is] the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights?

³Ko haizi njodzi kuna vasina kururama here, Nokuparadzwa kuna vaiti vezvakaipa here?

³Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?

⁴Ko iye haaoni nzira dzangu, Nokuverenga nhambwe dzangu dzose here?

⁴Doth not He see my ways, And all my steps number?

⁵Kana ndichinge ndafamba nenzira isina maturo, Norutsoka rwangu rwamhanyira zvinonyengera;

⁵If I have walked with vanity, And my foot doth hasten to deceit,

⁶(Ngandiidzwe pachiyero chakarurama, Kuti Mwari azive kusanyengera kwangu;)

⁶He doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my integrity.

⁷Kana kutsika kwangu kuchinge kwatsauka panzira, Nomoyo wangu ukatevera meso angu, Kana gwapa richinge ranamatira pamaoko angu;

⁷If my step doth turn aside from the way, And after mine eyes hath my heart gone, And to my hands cleaved hath blemish,

⁸Ipapo ini ndidzvare hangu, asi mumwe ngaadye; Zvibereko zvomunda wangu ngazvidzurwe.

⁸Let me sow — and another eat, And my products let be rooted out.

⁹Kana moyo wangu uchinge wanyengerwa nomukadzi, kana ndavandira pamukova wowandaigara naye;

⁹If my heart hath been enticed by woman, And by the opening of my neighbour I laid wait,

¹⁰Ipapo mukadzi wangu ngaakuyire mumwe, Navamwe ngavakotamire pamusoro pake.

¹⁰Grind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend.

¹¹nekuti chinhu icho chivi chakashata, Zvirokwazvo, chinhu chakaipa chinofanira kurohwa navatongi.

¹¹For it [is] a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;

¹²nekuti ndiwo moto unopedza kusvikira pakuparadza, Ungadzura zvibereko zvangu zvose.

¹²For a fire it [is], to destruction it consumeth, And among all mine increase doth take root,

¹³Kana ndichinge ndazvidza mhaka yomuranda wangu kana murandakadzi wangu, Panguva yavakaita nharo neni;

¹³If I despise the cause of my man-servant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,

¹⁴Ndichaiteiko kana Mwari akasimuka? Kana akandivinga, ndingapindurei kwaari?

¹⁴Then what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do I answer Him?

¹⁵Akandiita mudumbu ramai haazi iye akamuitawo here? Ko haazi mumwe akatiumba isu tose mudumbu ramai here?

¹⁵Did not He that made me in the womb make him? Yea, prepare us in the womb doth One.

¹⁶Kana ndichinge ndanyima varombo zvavakakumbira, Kana kushaisa meso echirikadzi;

¹⁶If I withhold from pleasure the poor, And the eyes of the widow do consume,

¹⁷Kana ndichinge ndadya chimedu changu ndiri ndoga, Nherera ikasadyawo;

¹⁷And I do eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan hath not eat of it,

¹⁸(Kwete, kubva paujaya hwangu yakakurira kwandiri ndikaita sababa vayo, Ndaiva muperekedzi wayo kubva padumbu ramai vangu;)

¹⁸(But from my youth He grew up with me as [with] a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led.)

¹⁹Kana ndichinge ndaona munhu achiparara nokushaiwa nguvo, Kana anoshaiwa asina chokufuka;

¹⁹If I see [any] perishing without clothing, And there is no covering to the needy,

²⁰Kana chiuno chake chisina kundivonga, Kana asina kudziyirwa nemvere dzamakwai angu;

²⁰If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He doth not warm himself,

²¹Kana ndichinge ndasimudzira nherera ruoko rwangu, nekuti ndakaona kuti ndichabatsirwa pasuwo;

²¹If I have waved at the fatherless my hand, When I see in [him] the gate of my court,

²²Ipapo fudzi rangu ngaribve pabendekete, Ruoko rwangu ngaruvhunike papfupa.

²²My shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the bone be broken.

²³nekuti njodzi inobva kuna Mwari yakandityisa, Ndakakoniwa kuita chinhu nokuda koumambo hwake.

²³For a dread unto me [is] calamity [from] God, And because of His excellency I am not able.

²⁴Kana ndichinge ndavimba nendarama ikava tariro yangu Ndikati kundarama yakaisvonaka, Ndinovimba newe.

²⁴If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, `My trust,`

²⁵Kana ndichinge ndakafara nekuti fuma yangu yakanga yawanda, Uye nekuti ruoko rwangu rwakanga rwawana zvizhinji;

²⁵If I rejoice because great [is] my wealth, And because abundance hath my hand found,

²⁶Kana ndichinge ndatarisa zuva parinohwinya, Kana mwedzi uchifamba wakachena;

²⁶If I see the light when it shineth, And the precious moon walking,

²⁷moyo wangu ukanyengerwa pakavanda, Muromo wangu ukatsvoda ruoko rwangu;

²⁷And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand doth kiss my mouth,

²⁸Nechinhu ichowo chaiva chaipa chinofanira kurohwa navatongi; nekuti ndinenge ndaramba Mwari ari kumusoro.

²⁸It also [is] a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.

²⁹Kana ndichinge ndafarira kuparadzwa komuvengi wangu, Kana kuzvikudza panguva yaakavingwa nezvakaipa;

²⁹If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him,

³⁰(Zvirokwazvo handina kutendera muromo wangu kutadza, Ndichikumbira nokupanjira kuti afe;)

³⁰Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.

³¹Kana vanhu vetende rangu vasina kutaura, vachiti, Ndianiko angawana munhu usina kugutiswa nenyama yake?

³¹If not — say ye, O men of my tent, `O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.`

³²Mweni haana kuvata vusiku panzira dzomumusha; Asi ndaizarurira mufambi mikova yangu;

³²In the street doth not lodge a stranger, My doors to the traveller I open.

³³dai ndaifukidza kudarika kwangu saAdhamu, Ndichivanza zvakaipa zvangu pachipfuva changu;

³³If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity,

³⁴Zvandaitya vanhu vazhinji, Ndikavhunduswa nokushorwa namapoka avanhu, Ndikanyarara, ndikasabuda pamukova,

³⁴Because I fear a great multitude, And the contempt of families doth affright me, Then I am silent, I go not out of the opening.

³⁵Haiwa, dai ndaiva nomunhu anondinzwa! (Tarirai, ndicho chivoneso changu, waMasimbaose ngaandipindure;) dai ndaiva norugwaro rwakanyorwa nomudzivisi wangu!

³⁵Who giveth to me a hearing? lo, my mark. The Mighty One doth answer me, And a bill hath mine adversary written.

³⁶Zvirokwazvo, ndairutakura pafudzi rangu; Ndairudzika pamusoro wangu sekorona.

³⁶If not — on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it a crown on myself.

³⁷Ndaimududzira kuwanda kwenhambwe dzangu; Ndaiswedera kwaari somuchinda.

³⁷The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.

³⁸Kana munda wangu ukadanidzira kwandiri, uchindipa mhosva, Nemihoronga yawo ikachema yose;

³⁸If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep,

³⁹Kana ndichinge ndadya zvibereko zvawo ndisina kutenga, Kana ndichinge ndarashisa varidzi vawo upenyu hwavo;

³⁹If its strength I consumed without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out,

⁴⁰Ipapo hutumbambeva ngahumerepo panzvimbo yezviyo, Nesora panzvimbo yebhari. Mashoko aJobho apera.

⁴⁰Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished.