¹Mwanakomana wangu, kana ukagamuchira mashoko angu, Nokuchengeta mirairo yangu kwauri;

¹My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee;

²Kuti urerekere nzeve yako iteerere uchenjeri, Nokurwadza moyo wako, kuti unzwisise;

²So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thy heart to understanding;

³Kana ukachemera kunzwisisa, Ukadanidzira nenzwi rako kuti uwane njere;

³Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding;

⁴Zvirokwazvo kana ukahutsvaka sesirivha, Ukahutsvakisisa sefuma yakavanzwa;

⁴If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures:

⁵Ipapo uchanzwisisa kutya Jehovha, Nokuwana zivo yaMwari.

⁵Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God.

⁶nekuti Jehovha ndiye anopa uchenjeri; Mumuromo make munobuda zivo nenjere,

⁶For Jehovah giveth wisdom; Out of his mouth [cometh] knowledge and understanding:

⁷Unovigira vakarurama uchenjeri chaihwo; Ndiye nhovo yavanofamba muzvokwadi;

⁷He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; [He is] a shield to them that walk in integrity;

⁸nekuti anorinda makwara okururamisa, Nokuchengeta nzira yavatsvene vake.

⁸That he may guard the paths of justice, And preserve the way of his saints.

⁹Ipapo uchanzwisisa kururama nokururamisa, Nokutendeka, idzo nzira dzose dzakanaka.

⁹Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice, And equity, [yea], every good path.

¹⁰nekuti uchenjeri huchapinda mumoyo mako, Zivo ichafadza mweya wako;

¹⁰For wisdom shall enter into thy heart, And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul;

¹¹Kungwara kuchakurindira, Njere dzichakuchengeta;

¹¹Discretion shall watch over thee; Understanding shall keep thee:

¹²Zvikurwire panzira yezvakaipa, Napavanhu vanotaura zvisakarurama;

¹²To deliver thee from the way of evil, From the men that speak perverse things;

¹³Vanorasha makwara okururama, Kuti vafambe nenzira dzerima;

¹³Who forsake the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness;

¹⁴Vanofarira kuita zvakaipa, Vanofadzwa nokunyengera kwezvakaipa.

¹⁴Who rejoice to do evil, And delight in the perverseness of evil;

¹⁵Vane nzira dzakaminama, Vanotsauka pamakwara avo;

¹⁵Who are crooked in their ways, And wayward in their paths:

¹⁶Kuti zvikurwire kumukadzi wokumwe, Kumukadzi mutorwa, anobata kumeso namashoko ake.

¹⁶To deliver thee from the strange woman, Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words;

¹⁷Iye, anorasha shamwari youduku hwake, Achikangamwa sungano yaMwari wake.

¹⁷That forsaketh the friend of her youth, And forgetteth the covenant of her God:

¹⁸nekuti imba yake inonyura kurufu, Nenzira dzake kuvakafa;

¹⁸For her house inclineth unto death, And her paths unto the dead;

¹⁹Hakuna anopinda kwaari anozodzokazve; Havasviki panzira dzoupenyu;

¹⁹None that go unto her return again, Neither do they attain unto the paths of life:

²⁰Kuti ufambe nenzira yavakanaka, Uchengete makwara avakarurama.

²⁰That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous.

²¹nekuti vakarurama vachagara panyika, Vakakwana vachafambirapo.

²¹For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the perfect shall remain in it.

²²Asi vakaipa vachaparadzwa panyika; Vanoita nokunyengedzera vachadzurwapo.

²²But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.