¹Kune chinhu chakaipa chandakaona pasi pezuva, chinoremedza vanhu.

¹There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on 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 gives riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God gives him no power to eat of it, but an alien eats 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 fathers a hundred children, and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not filled with good, and moreover he has no burial; I say, that a stillborn child is better than he:

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

⁴for it comes in vanity, and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

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

⁵Moreover it has not seen the sun nor known it. This has rest rather than the other.

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

⁶Yes, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet fails to enjoy good, don’t 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 has the wise more than the fool? What has the poor man, that knows 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 chasing after wind.

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

¹⁰Whatever has been, its name was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is mightier than he.

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

¹¹For there are many words that create vanity. What does that profit man?

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 knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he spends like a shadow? For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?