¹Zvirevo zvaSoromoni, mwanakomana waDhavhidhi, mambo waIsiraeri.

¹Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

²Kuti vanhu vazive uchenjeri nokurairirwa; Nokunzwisisa mashoko enjere;

²For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,

³Varairirwe nzira yokungwara, Neyokururama, nokururamisa, nokutendeka;

³For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,

⁴Vasina mano vapiwe kungwara, Jaya ripiwe zivo nokuchenjera;

⁴For giving to simple ones — prudence, To a youth — knowledge and discretion.

⁵Kuti wakachenjera anzwe, awedzere kudzidza; Nomunhu wenjere awane mano akanaka.

⁵(The wise doth hear and increaseth learning, And the intelligent doth obtain counsels.)

⁶Vanzwisise chirevo nomufananidzo, Mashoko avakachenjera nezvirabwe zvavo.

⁶For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.

⁷Kutya Jehovha ndiko kuvamba kwezivo; Mapenzi anoshora uchenjeri nokurairirwa.

⁷Fear of Jehovah [is] a beginning of knowledge, Wisdom and instruction fools have despised!

⁸Mwanakomana wangu, inzwa kurairira kwababa vako; Usarasha kudzidzisa kwamai vako.

⁸Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother,

⁹nekuti zvichava chishongo chakanaka pamusoro wako, Nengetani pamutsipa pako.

⁹For a graceful wreath [are] they to thy head, And chains to thy neck.

¹⁰Mwanakomana wangu, kana vatadzi vachikugombedzera, Usatenda iwe.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice thee be not willing.

¹¹Kana vachiti, Hendei tose, Ngatirindire ropa; Ngativandire vasina mhosva kunyange pasina mhaka.

¹¹If they say, `Come with us, we lay wait for blood, We watch secretly for the innocent without cause,

¹²Ngativamedze vari vapenyu seSheori, Vari vakukutu saivo vanoburukira kugomba.

¹²We swallow them as Sheol — alive, And whole — as those going down [to] the pit,

¹³Tichawana fuma yamarudzi mazhinji; Tichazadza dzimba dzedu nezvatakapamba;

¹³Every precious substance we find, We fill our houses [with] spoil,

¹⁴Iwe uchava mumwe wedu; Tose tichava nechikwama chimwechete.

¹⁴Thy lot thou dost cast among us, One purse is — to all of us.`

¹⁵Mwanakomana wangu, usafamba navo nenzira yavo; Dzora rutsoka rwako panzira yavo;

¹⁵My son! go not in the way with them, Withhold thy foot from their path,

¹⁶nekuti tsoka dzavo dzinovangira zvakaipa; Vanokurumidza kudurura ropa.

¹⁶For their feet to evil do run, And they haste to shed blood.

¹⁷nekuti mumbure unodzikirwa pasina Shiri dzamarudzi ose dzichizviona.

¹⁷Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.

¹⁸Vanhu ava vanogarira ropa ravo vamene; Vanozvivandira hupenyu hwavo.

¹⁸And they for their own blood lay wait, They watch secretly for their own lives.

¹⁹Ndizvo zvakaitawo nzira dzavose vanokarira fuma; Zvinotorera mwene wazvo upenyu hwake.

¹⁹So [are] the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, The life of its owners it taketh.

²⁰Uchenjeri hunodanidzira panzira dzomumusha; hunonzwisa inzwi rahwo panzvimbo dzakafara;

²⁰Wisdom in an out-place crieth aloud, In broad places she giveth forth her voice,

²¹hunodana panzvimbo panoungana vazhinji; Pavanopinda pamasuwo, Paguta, ndipo pahunotaura mashoko ahwo, huchiti,

²¹At the head of the multitudes she calleth, In the openings of the gates, In the city her sayings she saith:

²²Nhai imwi vasina mano, muchada kusava namano kusvikira rinhiko? nemwi vaseki kufarira kuseka kwenyu, Namapenzi kuvenga zivo?

²²`Till when, ye simple, do ye love simplicity? And have scorners their scorning desired? And do fools hate knowledge?

²³Dzokai kana muchinzwa kuraira kwangu, Tarirai ndichadurura mweya wangu pamusoro penyu; Ndichakuzivisai mashoko angu.

²³Turn back at my reproof, lo, I pour forth to you my spirit, I make known my words with you.

²⁴Zvandakadana, imwi mukaramba; Ndikatambanudza ruoko rwangu, kukasava nomunhu akarangarira;

²⁴Because I have called, and ye refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,

²⁵Asi makazvidza mano angu ose, Mukaramba chose kuraira kwangu,

²⁵And ye slight all my counsel, And my reproof ye have not desired.

²⁶Naizvozvo neniwo ndichaseka kana mava munhamo yenyu; Ndichakudadirai, kana kutya kwenyu kuchisvika.

²⁶I also in your calamity do laugh, I deride when your fear cometh,

²⁷Kana kutya kwenyu kuchisvika sedutu guru, Nenhamo yenyu ichisvika sechamupupuri; Kana kutambudzika nokudumbirwa zvichikuwirai.

²⁷When your fear cometh as destruction, And your calamity as a hurricane doth come, When on you come adversity and distress.

²⁸Nenguva iyo uchadana kwandiri, asi handingapinduri; Vachanditsvaka zvikuru, asi havangandiwani.

²⁸Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and find me not.

²⁹Zvavakavenga zivo, Vakasazvitsaurira kutya Jehovha,

²⁹Because that they have hated knowledge, And the fear of Jehovah have not chosen.

³⁰Vakaramba mano angu ose, Vakashora kuraira kwangu kose,

³⁰They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,

³¹Naizvozvo vachadya zvibereko zvenzira yavo; Vachagutswa namano avo.

³¹And they eat of the fruit of their way, And from their own counsels they are filled.

³²nekuti kudzokera shure kwavasina mano kuchavauraya, Kusava nehanya kwamapenzi kuchavaparadza.

³²For the turning of the simple slayeth them, And the security of the foolish destroyeth them.

³³Asi ani naani anonditeerera achagara zvakasimba, Achagadzikana, asingatyi zvakaipa.

³³And whoso is hearkening to me dwelleth confidently, And [is] quiet from fear of evil!`