¹Mwanakomana wangu, chengeta mashoko angu, Viga mirairo yangu kwauri.

¹My son! keep my sayings, And my commands lay up with thee.

²Chengeta mirairo yangu, urarame; Nomurau wangu semboni yeziso rako.

²Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of thine eye.

³Uzvisungire pamweya wako; Uzvinyore pabwendefa romoyo wako.

³Bind them on thy fingers, Write them on the tablet of thy heart.

⁴Uti kuuchenjeri, Ndiwe hanzvadzi yangu; Utumidze njere shamwari yako;

⁴Say to wisdom, `My sister Thou [art].` And cry to understanding, `Kinswoman!`

⁵Kuti zvikuchengete pamukadzi wokumwe, Pamutorwa anobata kumeso namashoko ake.

⁵To preserve thee from a strange woman, From a stranger who hath made smooth her sayings.

⁶nekuti ndakatarira pahwindo reimba yangu, Pahutanda bwehwindo rangu;

⁶For, at a window of my house, Through my casement I have looked out,

⁷Ndikatarira pakati pavasina mano, Ndikaona pakati pamajaya. Rimwe jaya rakashaiwa njere;

⁷And I do see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,

⁸Richipfuura nenzira yomumusha pedo nekona yeimba yomukadzi

⁸Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he doth step,

⁹Nenguva yorubvunzavaeni, nenguva yamadeko ezuva, Pakati pousiku kwasviba.

⁹In the twilight — in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.

¹⁰Zvino tarira, mukadzi akasangana naye, Akanga akafuka sechifeve, anokunyengedzera pamoyo.

¹⁰And, lo, a woman to meet him — (A harlot`s dress, and watchful of heart,

¹¹Anopupira, achiita sezvaanoda; Tsoka dzake hadzigari mumba make;

¹¹Noisy she [is], and stubborn, In her house her feet rest not.

¹²Imwe nguva ari munzira dzomumusha, imwe nguva pamatare; Anorindira pamakona ose.

¹²Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And near every corner she lieth in wait) —

¹³Zvino iye akamubata, akamutsvoda; Akataura naye nechiso chisina kunyara, akati kwaari,

¹³And she laid hold on him, and kissed him, She hath hardened her face, and saith to him,

¹⁴Ndaifanira kuuya nezvibayiro zvezvipiriso zvokuyananisa, Nhasi ndaripa mhiko dzangu.

¹⁴`Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, To-day I have completed my vows.

¹⁵Saka ndabuda kuzokuchingamidza, Nditsvake chiso chako zvikuru, zvino ndakuwana.

¹⁵Therefore I have come forth to meet thee, To seek earnestly thy face, and I find thee.

¹⁶Ndakawarira machira anohukomba pamubhedha wangu, Nemicheka ina mavara inobva Egipita.

¹⁶[With] ornamental coverings I decked my couch, Carved works — cotton of Egypt.

¹⁷Ndakasasa zvinonhuhwira pamubhedha wangu, Mura, negavakava, nekinamoni.

¹⁷I sprinkled my bed — myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

¹⁸Uya tigute nokudana kusvikira mangwanani; Ngatizvifadze nokudana kukuru.

¹⁸Come, we are filled [with] loves till the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.

¹⁹nekuti murume haapo pamusha; Akafamba rwendo rukuru;

¹⁹For the man is not in his house, He hath gone on a long journey.

²⁰Akaenda nehombodo ine mari; Achadzoka pajenaguru.

²⁰A bag of money he hath taken in his hand, At the day of the new moon he cometh to his house.`

²¹Nokutaura kwake kunokwezva anomutsausa, Anomugombedzera nokubata kumeso kwemiromo yake.

²¹She turneth him aside with the abundance of her speech, With the flattery of her lips she forceth him.

²²Anomutevera pakarepo, Senzombe inoenda kwainondobayiwa, Kana sebenzi rakasungwa rinoenda kundorangwa;

²²He is going after her straightway, As an ox unto the slaughter he cometh, And as a fetter unto the chastisement of a fool,

²³Kusvikira museve wabaya chiropa chake; Seshiri inokurumidzira kurugombe, Asingazivi kuti zvinovinga upenyu hwake.

²³Till an arrow doth split his liver, As a bird hath hastened unto a snare, And hath not known that it [is] for its life.

²⁴Zvino vanakomana vangu, nditeererei, Inzwai mashoko omuromo wangu.

²⁴And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.

²⁵moyo wako ngaurege kutsaukira kunzira dzake; Usafamba-famba mumakwara ake.

²⁵Let not thy heart turn unto her ways, Do not wander in her paths,

²⁶nekuti akawisira pasi vazhinji vakakuvadzwa; Zvirokwazvo, vakaurawa naye vazhinji kwazvo.

²⁶For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.

²⁷Imba yake inzira dzinoenda Sheori, Dzinoburukira kudzimba dzorufu.

²⁷The ways of Sheol — her house, Going down unto inner chambers of death!