¹Mashoko aAguri, mwanako­mana waJake; chirevo chake. Murume anoti kuna Itieri, kuna Itieri naUkari,

¹Words of a Gatherer, son of an obedient one, the declaration, an affirmation of the man: — I have wearied myself [for] God, I have wearied myself [for] God, and am consumed.

²Zvirokwazvo, ndiri benzi kupfuura vanhu vose; Handine njere dzomunhu.

²For I am more brutish than any one, And have not the understanding of a man.

³Handina kudzidza uchenjeri, Uye handina zivo yoMutsvene.

³Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet the knowledge of Holy Ones I know.

⁴Ndiani akakwira kudenga, akaburukazve? Ndiani akasungira mvura munguvo yake? Ndiani akasungira migumo yose yenyika? Zita rake ndiani, nezita romwanakomana wake, kana uchiriziva?

⁴Who went up to heaven, and cometh down? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound waters in a garment? Who established all ends of the earth? What [is] His name? and what His son`s name? Surely thou knowest!

⁵Shoko rimwe nerimwe raMwari rakanatswa; Ndiye nhovo yavose vanovanda maari.

⁵Every saying of God [is] tried, A shield He [is] to those trusting in Him.

⁶Usawedzera pamashoko ake, Kuti arege kukupa mhosva, uwanikwe une nhema.

⁶Add not to His words, lest He reason with thee, And thou hast been found false.

⁷Zvinhu zviviri ndakakumbira kwamuri; Musandirambira izvo, ndisati ndafa.

⁷Two things I have asked from Thee, Withhold not from me before I die.

⁸Bvisai kure neni zvisina kutendeka nenhema; Regai kundipa urombo kana fuma; Mundigutse nezvokudya zvakandifanira;

⁸Vanity and a lying word put far from me, Poverty or wealth give not to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion,

⁹Ndirege kuti kana ndaguta, ndikurambei, ndichiti, Jehovha ndianiko? Kana zvimwe ndive murombo, ndibe, Ndimhure zita raMwari wangu.

⁹Lest I become satiated, and have denied, And have said, `Who [is] Jehovah?` And lest I be poor, and have stolen, And have laid hold of the name of my God.

¹⁰Rega kuudzisira muranda kuna tenzi vake, Arege kukutuka, ukanzi une mhosva.

¹⁰Accuse not a servant unto his lord, Lest he disesteem thee, and thou be found guilty.

¹¹Rudzi ruriko runotuka baba varwo, Rusingaropafadzi mai varwo.

¹¹A generation [is], that lightly esteemeth their father, And their mother doth not bless.

¹²Rudzi ruriko runoti pakuona kwedu takachena kwazvo, Asi rusina kunatswa patsvina yarwo.

¹²A generation — pure in their own eyes, But from their own filth not washed.

¹³Rudzi ruriko, meso arwo ana manyawi sei! Mafungiro ameso avo akakwidzwa.

¹³A generation — how high are their eyes, Yea, their eyelids are lifted up.

¹⁴Rudzi ruriko, meno ago akafanana neminondo, nameno eshaya dzarwo samapanga, Kuti rupedze varombo panyika, navanoshaiwa pakati pavanhu.

¹⁴A generation — swords [are] their teeth, And knives — their jaw-teeth, To consume the poor from earth, And the needy from [among] men.

¹⁵Chikweva ropa chinavakunda vaviri, vanoti, Ndipe! Ndipe! Zvinhu zvitatu zviriko zvisingatongoguti, Zvina zvisingatongoti, Zvaringana!

¹⁵To the leech [are] two daughters, `Give, give, Lo, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said `Sufficiency;`

¹⁶Sheori; nechizvaro chisingabereki; Pasi pasingaguti mvura; Nomoto, usingati, Zvaringana!

¹⁶Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth — it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire — it hath not said, `Sufficiency,`

¹⁷Ziso rinoseka baba, Rinoshora kuteerera mai, Makunguvo omupata acharinongora, Vana vegondo vacharidya.

¹⁷An eye that mocketh at a father, And despiseth to obey a mother, Dig it out do ravens of the valley, And eat it do young eagles.

¹⁸Zvinhu zvitatu zviriko zvinondishamisa, Zvirokwazvo zvina, zvandisingazivi, zvinoti:

¹⁸Three things have been too wonderful for me, Yea, four that I have not known:

¹⁹Kufamba kwegondo mudenga; Kufamba kwenyoka paruware; Kufamba kwechikepe pakati pegungwa; Nokufamba komurume nomusikana.

¹⁹The way of the eagle in the heavens, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the heart of the sea, And the way of a man in youth.

²⁰Ndizvo zvakaita kufamba komukadzi woupombwe; Anodya, ndokupisika muromo wake, Achiti, Handina kuita chinhu chakaipa.

²⁰So — the way of an adulterous woman, She hath eaten and hath wiped her mouth, And hath said, `I have not done iniquity.`

²¹Nyika inodedera nokuda kwezvinhu zvitatu; Uye nokuda kwezvina zvaisingadi kuona;

²¹For three things hath earth been troubled, And for four — it is not able to bear:

²²Nokuda komuranda kana achizova mambo; Nokuda kwebenzi, kana raguta zvokudya;

²²For a servant when he reigneth, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,

²³Nokuda komukadzi arambwa, kana azowanikwa; Uye mushandiri, kana azova mugari wenhaka yatenzi wake.

²³For a hated one when she ruleth, And a maid-servant when she succeedeth her mistress.

²⁴Zvinhu zvina zviriko panyika zviduku hazvo, Asi zvakachenjera kwazvo, zvinoti:

²⁴Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:

²⁵Majuru, rudzi rusine simba harwo; Kunyange zvakadaro anounganidza zvokudya zvawo muzhizha;

²⁵The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare in summer their food,

²⁶Mbira, rudzi rusine simba harwo, Kunyange zvakadaro dzinoita imba yadzo mumatombo;

²⁶Conies [are] a people not strong, And they place in a rock their house,

²⁷Mhashu hadzina mambo , Kunyange zvakadaro dzinofamba zvakanaka dzichiita mapoka;

²⁷A king there is not to the locust, And it goeth out — each one shouting,

²⁸Chipfira ungachibata namaoko ako, Kunyange zvakadaro chiri mudzimba dzamadzimambo.

²⁸A spider with two hands taketh hold, And is in the palaces of a king.

²⁹Zvinhu zvitatu zviriko zvinokufamba kunokudzwa, Zvirokwazvo zvina zvinokufamba kunokudzwa, zvinoti:

²⁹Three there are going well, Yea, four are good in going:

³⁰Shumba, mhare pakati pemhuka dzose, Isingatizi mhuka ipi neipi;

³⁰An old lion — mighty among beasts, That turneth not back from the face of any,

³¹Nemhuka ine zviuno zakasimba, nenhongo yembudzi; Namambo kana anavarwi vake.

³¹A girt one of the loins, or a he-goat, And a king — no rising up with him.

³²Kana uchinge waita noupenzi, wazvikudza, Kana zvimwe warangarira zvakashata, Pfumbira muromo wako.

³²If thou hast been foolish in lifting up thyself, And if thou hast devised evil — hand to mouth!

³³nekuti mukaka warozva unobudisa mafuta, Nemhino dzadzvinyiwa dzinobudisa ropa, Saizvozvo hasha dzambandidzirwa dzinobudisa kukakavara.

³³For the churning of milk bringeth out butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth out blood, And the forcing of anger bringeth out strife!