¹Kune chinhu chakaipa chandakaona pasi pezuva, chinoremedza vanhu.

¹There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy upon men:

²Munhu anopiwa naMwari fuma nezvakawanda nokukudzwa, saizvozvo kuti mweya wake hautongoshaiwi chinhu chaanoda; asi Mwari haamupi simba rokudya izvozvo; asi mutorwa anozvidya, ichi hachina maturo, ihosha yakaipa.

²a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacketh nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but an alien eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³Kana munhu akabereka vana vane zana, akararama makore mazhinji, mazuva amakore ake akava mazhinji, asi mweya wake asingagutswi nezvakanaka, uyezve akasavigwa zvakanaka, ndinoti mwana wakaberekwa nguva isati yasvika anopfuura iye;

³If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul be not filled with good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he:

⁴nekuti anouya asina maturo, anoendazve murima, zita rake rinofukidzwa nerima;

⁴for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;

⁵uyezve, haana kuona zuva kana kuriziva; mwana akadai ane zororo kupfuura iye.

⁵moreover it hath not seen the sun nor known it; this hath rest rather than the other:

⁶Zvirokwazvo, kunyange akararama makore ane zviuru zviviri zvamazana, asingafariri zvinhu zvakanaka, ko vose havaendi kunzvimbo imwe here?

⁶yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet enjoy no good, do not all go to one place?

⁷Kubata kose komunhu kunoitirwa muromo wake; kunyange zvakadaro kuda kwake zvokudya hakugutswi.

⁷All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸nekuti akachenjera anokurira benzi nei? Kana murombo anei, iye anoziva kufamba zvakanaka pamberi pavapenyu.

⁸For what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? [or] what hath the poor man, that knoweth how to walk before the living?

⁹Kuona kwameso kunopfuura kutsvakatsvaka komweya. Naizvozvowo hazvina maturo, ndiko kudzingana nemhepo chete.

⁹Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

¹⁰Chinhu chipi nechipi, chakavapo, chakanguva chapiwa zita racho, zvakatarwa kuti munhu achava akadini, haangarwi nowanomupfuura nesimba.

¹⁰Whatsoever hath been, the name thereof was given long ago; and it is know what man is; neither can he contend with him that is mightier than he.

¹¹nekuti mashoko mazhinji ariko, anowedzera zvisina maturo; munhu anobatsirwei nazvo?

¹¹Seeing there are many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?

¹²nekuti ndiani anoziva zvakafanira munhu paupenyu hwake, iwo mazuva ose oupenyu hwake husina maturo, anorarama somumvuri? nekuti ndiani angaudza munhu zvichazomutevera pasi pezuva?

¹²For who knoweth what is good for man in [his] life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?