¹My son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you;

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

²So as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

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

³Yes, if you call out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding;

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

⁴If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures:

⁴Zvirokwazvo kana ukahutsvaka sesirivha, Ukahutsvakisisa sefuma yakavanzwa;

⁵then you will understand the fear of Yahweh, and find the knowledge of God The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “Elohim.” .

⁵Ipapo uchanzwisisa kutya Jehovha, Nokuwana zivo yaMwari.

⁶For Yahweh gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

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

⁷He lays up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity;

⁷Unovigira vakarurama uchenjeri chaihwo; Ndiye nhovo yavanofamba muzvokwadi;

⁸that he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his saints.

⁸nekuti anorinda makwara okururamisa, Nokuchengeta nzira yavatsvene vake.

⁹Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.

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

¹⁰For wisdom will enter into your heart. Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

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

¹¹Discretion will watch over you. Understanding will keep you,

¹¹Kungwara kuchakurindira, Njere dzichakuchengeta;

¹²to deliver you from the way of evil, from the men who speak perverse things;

¹²Zvikurwire panzira yezvakaipa, Napavanhu vanotaura zvisakarurama;

¹³who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

¹³Vanorasha makwara okururama, Kuti vafambe nenzira dzerima;

¹⁴who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perverseness of evil;

¹⁴Vanofarira kuita zvakaipa, Vanofadzwa nokunyengera kwezvakaipa.

¹⁵who are crooked in their ways, and wayward in their paths:

¹⁵Vane nzira dzakaminama, Vanotsauka pamakwara avo;

¹⁶To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words;

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

¹⁷who forsakes the friend of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God:

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

¹⁸for her house leads down to death, her paths to the dead.

¹⁸nekuti imba yake inonyura kurufu, Nenzira dzake kuvakafa;

¹⁹None who go to her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life:

¹⁹Hakuna anopinda kwaari anozodzokazve; Havasviki panzira dzoupenyu;

²⁰that you may walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

²⁰Kuti ufambe nenzira yavakanaka, Uchengete makwara avakarurama.

²¹For the upright will dwell in the land. The perfect will remain in it.

²¹nekuti vakarurama vachagara panyika, Vakakwana vachafambirapo.

²²But the wicked will be cut off from the land. The treacherous will be rooted out of it.

²²Asi vakaipa vachaparadzwa panyika; Vanoita nokunyengedzera vachadzurwapo.