¹Mwanakomana wangu, teerera uchenjeri hwangu; Rerekera nzeve yako inzwe njere dzangu;

¹My son! to my wisdom give attention, To mine understanding incline thine ear,

²Kuti ugare wakabata kungwara, Nemiromo yako ichengete zivo.

²To observe thoughtfulness, And knowledge do thy lips keep.

³nekuti miromo yomukadzi wokumwe inodonha huchi; Muromo wake unotedza kupfuura mafuta;

³For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And smoother than oil [is] her mouth,

⁴Asi pakupedzisira unovava segavakava; Unopinza somunondo une nhivi mbiri dzinocheka.

⁴And her latter end [is] bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a sword [with] mouths.

⁵Tsoka dzake dzinoburukira kurufu; Nhambwe dzake dzinovavarira kuhwiro;

⁵Her feet are going down to death, Sheol do her steps take hold of.

⁶Gwara roupenyu, rakati chechetere, haariwani, Nzira dzake dzinotsauka, iye asingazvizivi.

⁶The path of life — lest thou ponder, Moved have her paths — thou knowest not.

⁷Saka imi, vanakomana vangu, nditeererei; Regai kutsauka pamashoko omuromo wangu.

⁷And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And turn not from sayings of my mouth.

⁸Nzira yako ngaive kure naye, Usaswedera pamukova weimba yake.

⁸Keep far from off her thy way, And come not near unto the opening of her house,

⁹Kuti urege kupa vamwe kunaka kohujaya hwako, Namakore ako kuno anomoyo mukukutu;

⁹Lest thou give to others thy honour, And thy years to the fierce,

¹⁰Kuti vatorwa varege kugutswa nefuma yako, Nezvibereko zvokutambura kwako zviende kumba komweni.

¹⁰Lest strangers be filled [with] thy power, And thy labours in the house of a stranger,

¹¹Iwe ugochema pakupedzisira kwako, Kana nyama yako nomuviri wako zvaparadzwa,

¹¹And thou hast howled in thy latter end, In the consumption of thy flesh and thy food,

¹²Uchiti, Ndakavengereiko kurairirwa, moyo wangu wakashorerei kurairwa?

¹²And hast said, `How have I hated instruction, And reproof hath my heart despised,

¹³Ndakaregereiko kuteerera inzwi ravadzidzisi vangu, Nokusarerekera nzeve yangu kuna vaindiraira?

¹³And I have not hearkened to the voice of my directors, And to my teachers have not inclined mine ear.

¹⁴Ndakanga ndapinda pane zvakaipa zvose, Pakati pechaunga neungano.

¹⁴As a little thing I have been all evil, In the midst of an assembly and a company.

¹⁵Imwa mvura padziva rako chairo, Nemvura inoyerera patsime rako chairo.

¹⁵Drink waters out of thine own cistern, Even flowing ones out of thine own well.

¹⁶Ko matsime ako anofanira kuparadzirwa here, Nzizi dzemvura dziyerere munzira dzomumusha here?

¹⁶Let thy fountains be scattered abroad, In broad places rivulets of waters.

¹⁷Ngazvive zvako woga, Zvisava zvavatorwa pamwechete newe.

¹⁷Let them be to thee for thyself, And not to strangers with thee.

¹⁸Tsime rako ngariropafadzwe; Ufarire mukadzi wohujaya hwako.

¹⁸Let thy fountain be blessed, And rejoice because of the wife of thy youth,

¹⁹Sehadzi yenondo yakanaka, nehadzi yengururu inofadza; Mazamu ake ngaakufadze nguva dzose; Ugare uchigutiswa norudo rwake.

¹⁹A hind of loves, and a roe of grace! Let her loves satisfy thee at all times, In her love magnify thyself continually.

²⁰nekuti iwe, mwanakomana wangu, uchagutsirweiko nomukadzi wokumwe, Uchambundikireiko chipfuva chomweni?

²⁰And why dost thou magnify thyself, My son, with a stranger? And embrace the bosom of a strange woman?

²¹nekuti nzira dzomunhu dziri pamberi paJehovha; Ndiye anoyera makwara ake ose.

²¹For over-against the eyes of Jehovah are the ways of each, And all his paths He is pondering.

²²Zvivi zvake zvichabata muiti wazvo, Achabatwa namabote ezvivi zvake.

²²His own iniquities do capture the wicked, And with the ropes of his sin he is holden.

²³Achafa nokushaiwa kurairirwa; Achatsauka noukuru hwoupenzi hwake.

²³He dieth without instruction, And in the abundance of his folly magnifieth himself!