¹Ndakaita sungano nameso angu, Zvino ndingatarira musikana seiko?

¹I made a covenant with mine eyes; How then should I look upon a virgin?

²nekuti mugove waMwari unobva kumusoro ndeweiko, Nemhaka yowaMasimbaose inobva kudenga ndeyeiko?

²For what is the portion from God above, And the heritage from the Almighty on high?

³Ko haizi njodzi kuna vasina kururama here, Nokuparadzwa kuna vaiti vezvakaipa here?

³Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, And disaster to the workers of iniquity?

⁴Ko iye haaoni nzira dzangu, Nokuverenga nhambwe dzangu dzose here?

⁴Doth not he see my ways, And number all my steps?

⁵Kana ndichinge ndafamba nenzira isina maturo, Norutsoka rwangu rwamhanyira zvinonyengera;

⁵If I have walked with falsehood, And my foot hath hasted to deceit

⁶(Ngandiidzwe pachiyero chakarurama, Kuti Mwari azive kusanyengera kwangu;)

⁶(Let me be weighed in an even balance, That God may know mine integrity);

⁷Kana kutsika kwangu kuchinge kwatsauka panzira, Nomoyo wangu ukatevera meso angu, Kana gwapa richinge ranamatira pamaoko angu;

⁷If my step hath turned out of the way, And my heart walked after mine eyes, And if any spot hath cleaved to my hands:

⁸Ipapo ini ndidzvare hangu, asi mumwe ngaadye; Zvibereko zvomunda wangu ngazvidzurwe.

⁸Then let me sow, and let another eat; Yea, let the produce of my field be rooted out.

⁹Kana moyo wangu uchinge wanyengerwa nomukadzi, kana ndavandira pamukova wowandaigara naye;

⁹If my heart hath been enticed unto a woman, And I have laid wait at my neighbor's door;

¹⁰Ipapo mukadzi wangu ngaakuyire mumwe, Navamwe ngavakotamire pamusoro pake.

¹⁰Then let my wife grind unto another, And let others bow down upon her.

¹¹nekuti chinhu icho chivi chakashata, Zvirokwazvo, chinhu chakaipa chinofanira kurohwa navatongi.

¹¹For that were a heinous crime; Yea, it were an iniquity to be punished by the judges:

¹²nekuti ndiwo moto unopedza kusvikira pakuparadza, Ungadzura zvibereko zvangu zvose.

¹²For it is a fire that consumeth unto Destruction, And would root out all mine increase.

¹³Kana ndichinge ndazvidza mhaka yomuranda wangu kana murandakadzi wangu, Panguva yavakaita nharo neni;

¹³If I have despised the cause of my man-servant or of my maid-servant, When they contended with me;

¹⁴Ndichaiteiko kana Mwari akasimuka? Kana akandivinga, ndingapindurei kwaari?

¹⁴What then shall I do when God riseth up? And when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?

¹⁵Akandiita mudumbu ramai haazi iye akamuitawo here? Ko haazi mumwe akatiumba isu tose mudumbu ramai here?

¹⁵Did not he that made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?

¹⁶Kana ndichinge ndanyima varombo zvavakakumbira, Kana kushaisa meso echirikadzi;

¹⁶If I have withheld the poor from [their] desire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

¹⁷Kana ndichinge ndadya chimedu changu ndiri ndoga, Nherera ikasadyawo;

¹⁷Or have eaten my morsel alone, And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof

¹⁸(Kwete, kubva paujaya hwangu yakakurira kwandiri ndikaita sababa vayo, Ndaiva muperekedzi wayo kubva padumbu ramai vangu;)

¹⁸(Nay, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, And her have I guided from my mother's womb);

¹⁹Kana ndichinge ndaona munhu achiparara nokushaiwa nguvo, Kana anoshaiwa asina chokufuka;

¹⁹If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, Or that the needy had no covering;

²⁰Kana chiuno chake chisina kundivonga, Kana asina kudziyirwa nemvere dzamakwai angu;

²⁰If his loins have not blessed me, And if he hath not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

²¹Kana ndichinge ndasimudzira nherera ruoko rwangu, nekuti ndakaona kuti ndichabatsirwa pasuwo;

²¹If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, Because I saw my help in the gate:

²²Ipapo fudzi rangu ngaribve pabendekete, Ruoko rwangu ngaruvhunike papfupa.

²²Then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder-blade, And mine arm be broken from the bone.

²³nekuti njodzi inobva kuna Mwari yakandityisa, Ndakakoniwa kuita chinhu nokuda koumambo hwake.

²³For calamity from God is a terror to me, And by reason of his majesty I can do nothing.

²⁴Kana ndichinge ndavimba nendarama ikava tariro yangu Ndikati kundarama yakaisvonaka, Ndinovimba newe.

²⁴If I have made gold my hope, And have said to the fine gold, [Thou art] my confidence;

²⁵Kana ndichinge ndakafara nekuti fuma yangu yakanga yawanda, Uye nekuti ruoko rwangu rwakanga rwawana zvizhinji;

²⁵If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gotten much;

²⁶Kana ndichinge ndatarisa zuva parinohwinya, Kana mwedzi uchifamba wakachena;

²⁶If I have beheld the sun when it shined, Or the moon walking in brightness,

²⁷moyo wangu ukanyengerwa pakavanda, Muromo wangu ukatsvoda ruoko rwangu;

²⁷And my heart hath been secretly enticed, And my mouth hath kissed my hand:

²⁸Nechinhu ichowo chaiva chaipa chinofanira kurohwa navatongi; nekuti ndinenge ndaramba Mwari ari kumusoro.

²⁸This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judges; For I should have denied the God that is above.

²⁹Kana ndichinge ndafarira kuparadzwa komuvengi wangu, Kana kuzvikudza panguva yaakavingwa nezvakaipa;

²⁹If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, Or lifted up myself when evil found him;

³⁰(Zvirokwazvo handina kutendera muromo wangu kutadza, Ndichikumbira nokupanjira kuti afe;)

³⁰(Yea, I have not suffered by mouth to sin By asking his life with a curse);

³¹Kana vanhu vetende rangu vasina kutaura, vachiti, Ndianiko angawana munhu usina kugutiswa nenyama yake?

³¹If the men of my tent have not said, Who can find one that hath not been filled with his meat?

³²Mweni haana kuvata vusiku panzira dzomumusha; Asi ndaizarurira mufambi mikova yangu;

³²(The sojourner hath not lodged in the street; But I have opened my doors to the traveller);

³³dai ndaifukidza kudarika kwangu saAdhamu, Ndichivanza zvakaipa zvangu pachipfuva changu;

³³If like Adam I have covered my transgressions, By hiding mine iniquity in my bosom,

³⁴Zvandaitya vanhu vazhinji, Ndikavhunduswa nokushorwa namapoka avanhu, Ndikanyarara, ndikasabuda pamukova,

³⁴Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, So that I kept silence, and went not out of the door-

³⁵Haiwa, dai ndaiva nomunhu anondinzwa! (Tarirai, ndicho chivoneso changu, waMasimbaose ngaandipindure;) dai ndaiva norugwaro rwakanyorwa nomudzivisi wangu!

³⁵Oh that I had one to hear me! (Lo, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me); And [that I had] the indictment which mine adversary hath written!

³⁶Zvirokwazvo, ndairutakura pafudzi rangu; Ndairudzika pamusoro wangu sekorona.

³⁶Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder; I would bind it unto me as a crown:

³⁷Ndaimududzira kuwanda kwenhambwe dzangu; Ndaiswedera kwaari somuchinda.

³⁷I would declare unto him the number of my steps; As a prince would I go near unto him.

³⁸Kana munda wangu ukadanidzira kwandiri, uchindipa mhosva, Nemihoronga yawo ikachema yose;

³⁸If my land crieth out against me, And the furrows thereof weep together;

³⁹Kana ndichinge ndadya zvibereko zvawo ndisina kutenga, Kana ndichinge ndarashisa varidzi vawo upenyu hwavo;

³⁹If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:

⁴⁰Ipapo hutumbambeva ngahumerepo panzvimbo yezviyo, Nesora panzvimbo yebhari. Mashoko aJobho apera.

⁴⁰Let thistles grow instead of wheat, And cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.