¹Ipapo Bhiridhadhi muShuhi akapindura akati,

¹Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

²Ucharamba uchitaura mashoko awa kusvikira rinhiko?

²How long wilt thou speak these things? And [how long] shall the words of thy mouth be [like] a mighty wind?

³Ko Mwari angakanganisa pakutonga here WaMasimbaose angakanganisa zvakarurama here?

³Doth God pervert justice? Or doth the Almighty pervert righteousness?

⁴Kana vana vako vakanga vamutadzira iye, Akavaisa pakudarika kwavo;

⁴If thy children have sinned against him, And he hath delivered them into the hand of their transgression;

⁵Kana iwe ukashingaira kutsvaka Mwari, Ukakumbira kuna waMasimbaose;

⁵If thou wouldest seek diligently unto God, And make thy supplication to the Almighty;

⁶Kana ukava akanaka, akaruruma; Iye angadai aimuka zvino nokuda kwako, Akafambisa zvakanaka imba yako yakarurama.

⁶If thou wert pure and upright: Surely now he would awake for thee, And make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

⁷Kunyange kutanga kwako kwaiva kuduku, Asi kuguma kwako kwaiva kukuru kwazvo.

⁷And though thy beginning was small, Yet thy latter end would greatly increase.

⁸nekuti chidobvunza hako rudzi rwakare, Ucherekedze zvakanzverwa namadzibaba avo.

⁸For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, And apply thyself to that which their fathers have searched out:

⁹(Nokuti isu tiri vazuro hedu, hatizivi chinhu, nekuti mazuva edu panyika akafanana nemumvuri;)

⁹(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, Because our days upon earth are a shadow);

¹⁰Ivo havangakudzidzisi here, nokukuudza, Nokureva mashoko anobva pamoyo yavo here?

¹⁰Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, And utter words out of their heart?

¹¹Ko nhokwe ingamera pasine nhope here? Ko rutsanga rungamera pasine mvura here?

¹¹Can the rush grow up without mire? Can the flag grow without water?

¹²Ruchiri runyoro, rusati rwatemwa, Runosvava mimwe miriwo ichigere.

¹²Whilst it is yet in its greenness, [and] not cut down, It withereth before any [other] herb.

¹³Ndizvo zvakaita nzira dzavose vanokangamwa Mwari; Uye tariro yomunhu asingadi Mwari ichapera;

¹³So are the paths of all that forget God; And the hope of the godless man shall perish:

¹⁴Chaakatarira chichaputsanyiwa, Chaakatenda chakafanana namambure edandemutande

¹⁴Whose confidence shall break in sunder, And whose trust is a spider's web.

¹⁵Uchasendamira paimba yake, asi haingamiri; Uchaibata, asi haingagari.

¹⁵He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: He shall hold fast thereby, but it shall not endure.

¹⁶Iye muti mutema pamushana, Matavi ake anotandavarira pamunda wake.

¹⁶He is green before the sun, And his shoots go forth over his garden.

¹⁷Midzi yake yakapombera patsime, Unoona nzvimbo yorukangarabwe.

¹⁷His roots are wrapped about the [stone] -heap, He beholdeth the place of stones.

¹⁸Kana akaparadzwa panzvimbo yake, Ichamuramba, ichiti, Handina kukuona,

¹⁸If he be destroyed from his place, Then it shall deny him, [saying], I have not seen thee.

¹⁹Tarira, ndiwo mufaro wenzira yake; Paguruva panobuda vamwe.

¹⁹Behold, this is the joy of his way; And out of the earth shall others spring.

²⁰Tarira, Mwari haangarashi munhu wakarurama, Haangabatsiri vanoita zvakaipa.

²⁰Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, Neither will he uphold the evil-doers.

²¹Achazozadza hake muromo wako nokuseka, Nemiromo yako nokupururudza.

²¹He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, And thy lips with shouting.

²²Vanokuvenga vachafukidza nokunyara; Uye tende ravakaipa haringazovipo.

²²They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; And the tent of the wicked shall be no more.