¹Zvirevo zvaSoromoni, mwanakomana waDhavhidhi, mambo waIsiraeri.

¹Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

²Kuti vanhu vazive uchenjeri nokurairirwa; Nokunzwisisa mashoko enjere;

²to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;

³Varairirwe nzira yokungwara, Neyokururama, nokururamisa, nokutendeka;

³to receive the instruction of wisdom, righteousness and judgment, and equity;

⁴Vasina mano vapiwe kungwara, Jaya ripiwe zivo nokuchenjera;

⁴to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

⁵Kuti wakachenjera anzwe, awedzere kudzidza; Nomunhu wenjere awane mano akanaka.

⁵He that is wise will hear, and will increase learning; and the intelligent will gain wise counsels:

⁶Vanzwisise chirevo nomufananidzo, Mashoko avakachenjera nezvirabwe zvavo.

⁶to understand a proverb and an allegory, the words of the wise and their enigmas.

⁷Kutya Jehovha ndiko kuvamba kwezivo; Mapenzi anoshora uchenjeri nokurairirwa.

⁷The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge: fools despise wisdom and instruction.

⁸Mwanakomana wangu, inzwa kurairira kwababa vako; Usarasha kudzidzisa kwamai vako.

⁸Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;

⁹nekuti zvichava chishongo chakanaka pamusoro wako, Nengetani pamutsipa pako.

⁹for they shall be a garland of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

¹⁰Mwanakomana wangu, kana vatadzi vachikugombedzera, Usatenda iwe.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice thee, consent not.

¹¹Kana vachiti, Hendei tose, Ngatirindire ropa; Ngativandire vasina mhosva kunyange pasina mhaka.

¹¹If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

¹²Ngativamedze vari vapenyu seSheori, Vari vakukutu saivo vanoburukira kugomba.

¹²let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, and whole, as those that go down into the pit;

¹³Tichawana fuma yamarudzi mazhinji; Tichazadza dzimba dzedu nezvatakapamba;

¹³we shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

¹⁴Iwe uchava mumwe wedu; Tose tichava nechikwama chimwechete.

¹⁴cast in thy lot among us; we will all have one purse:

¹⁵Mwanakomana wangu, usafamba navo nenzira yavo; Dzora rutsoka rwako panzira yavo;

¹⁵-- my son, walk not in the way with them, keep back thy foot from their path;

¹⁶nekuti tsoka dzavo dzinovangira zvakaipa; Vanokurumidza kudurura ropa.

¹⁶for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.

¹⁷nekuti mumbure unodzikirwa pasina Shiri dzamarudzi ose dzichizviona.

¹⁷For in vain the net is spread in the sight of anything which hath wings.

¹⁸Vanhu ava vanogarira ropa ravo vamene; Vanozvivandira hupenyu hwavo.

¹⁸And these lay wait for their own blood; they lurk secretly for their own lives.

¹⁹Ndizvo zvakaitawo nzira dzavose vanokarira fuma; Zvinotorera mwene wazvo upenyu hwake.

¹⁹So are the paths of every one that is greedy of gain: it taketh away the life of its possessors.

²⁰Uchenjeri hunodanidzira panzira dzomumusha; hunonzwisa inzwi rahwo panzvimbo dzakafara;

²⁰Wisdom crieth without; she raiseth her voice in the broadways;

²¹hunodana panzvimbo panoungana vazhinji; Pavanopinda pamasuwo, Paguta, ndipo pahunotaura mashoko ahwo, huchiti,

²¹she calleth in the chief [place] of concourse, in the entry of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words:

²²Nhai imwi vasina mano, muchada kusava namano kusvikira rinhiko? nemwi vaseki kufarira kuseka kwenyu, Namapenzi kuvenga zivo?

²²How long, simple ones, will ye love simpleness, and scorners take pleasure in their scorning, and the foolish hate knowledge?

²³Dzokai kana muchinzwa kuraira kwangu, Tarirai ndichadurura mweya wangu pamusoro penyu; Ndichakuzivisai mashoko angu.

²³Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour forth my spirit unto you, I will make known to you my words.

²⁴Zvandakadana, imwi mukaramba; Ndikatambanudza ruoko rwangu, kukasava nomunhu akarangarira;

²⁴Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one regarded;

²⁵Asi makazvidza mano angu ose, Mukaramba chose kuraira kwangu,

²⁵and ye have rejected all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

²⁶Naizvozvo neniwo ndichaseka kana mava munhamo yenyu; Ndichakudadirai, kana kutya kwenyu kuchisvika.

²⁶I also will laugh in your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh;

²⁷Kana kutya kwenyu kuchisvika sedutu guru, Nenhamo yenyu ichisvika sechamupupuri; Kana kutambudzika nokudumbirwa zvichikuwirai.

²⁷when your fear cometh as sudden destruction, and your calamity cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you:

²⁸Nenguva iyo uchadana kwandiri, asi handingapinduri; Vachanditsvaka zvikuru, asi havangandiwani.

²⁸-- then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me early, and shall not find me.

²⁹Zvavakavenga zivo, Vakasazvitsaurira kutya Jehovha,

²⁹Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of Jehovah;

³⁰Vakaramba mano angu ose, Vakashora kuraira kwangu kose,

³⁰they would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof:

³¹Naizvozvo vachadya zvibereko zvenzira yavo; Vachagutswa namano avo.

³¹therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their way, and be filled with their own devices.

³²nekuti kudzokera shure kwavasina mano kuchavauraya, Kusava nehanya kwamapenzi kuchavaparadza.

³²For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of the foolish shall cause them to perish.

³³Asi ani naani anonditeerera achagara zvakasimba, Achagadzikana, asingatyi zvakaipa.

³³But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be at rest from fear of evil.