¹“I made a covenant with my eyes, how then should I look lustfully at a young woman?

¹Ndakaita sungano nameso angu, Zvino ndingatarira musikana seiko?

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

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

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

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

⁴Doesn’t he see my ways, and number all my steps?

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

⁵“If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hurried to deceit

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

⁶(let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know my integrity);

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

⁷if my step has turned out of the way, if my heart walked after my eyes, if any defilement has stuck to my hands,

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

⁸then let me sow, and let another eat. Yes, let the produce of my field be rooted out.

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

⁹“If my heart has been enticed to a woman, and I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door,

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

¹⁰then let my wife grind for another, and let others sleep with her.

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

¹¹For that would be a heinous crime. Yes, it would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges:

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

¹²For it is a fire that consumes to destruction, and would root out all my increase.

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

¹³“If I have despised the cause of my male servant or of my female servant, when they contended with me;

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

¹⁴What then shall I do when God rises up? When he visits, what shall I answer him?

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

¹⁵Didn’t he who made me in the womb make him? Didn’t one fashion us in the womb?

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

¹⁶“If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

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

¹⁷or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it

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

¹⁸(no, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, her have I guided from my mother’s womb);

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

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

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

²⁰if his heart hasn’t blessed me, if he hasn’t been warmed with my sheep’s fleece;

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

²¹if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate,

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

²²then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and my arm be broken from the bone.

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

²³For calamity from God is a terror to me. Because his majesty, I can do nothing.

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

²⁴“If I have made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold, ‘You are my confidence;’

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

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

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

²⁶if I have seen the sun when it shined, or the moon moving in splendor,

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

²⁷and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,

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

²⁸this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges; for I should have denied the God who is above.

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

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

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

³⁰(yes, I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse);

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

³¹if the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat?’

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

³²(the foreigner has not lodged in the street, but I have opened my doors to the traveler);

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

³³if like Adam I have covered my transgressions, by hiding my iniquity in my heart,

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

³⁴because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and didn’t go out of the door—

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

³⁵oh that I had one to hear me! (behold, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me); let the accuser write my indictment!

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

³⁶Surely I would carry it on my shoulder; and I would bind it to me as a crown.

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

³⁷I would declare to him the number of my steps. as a prince would I go near to him.

³⁷Ndaimududzira kuwanda kwenhambwe dzangu; Ndaiswedera kwaari somuchinda.

³⁸If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together;

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

³⁹if I have eaten its fruits without money, or have caused its owners to lose their life,

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

⁴⁰let briars grow instead of wheat, and stinkweed instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

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