¹My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Turn your ear to my understanding:

¹Mwanakomana wangu, teerera uchenjeri hwangu; Rerekera nzeve yako inzwe njere dzangu;

²that you may maintain discretion, that your lips may preserve knowledge.

²Kuti ugare wakabata kungwara, Nemiromo yako ichengete zivo.

³For the lips of an adulteress drip honey. Her mouth is smoother than oil,

³nekuti miromo yomukadzi wokumwe inodonha huchi; Muromo wake unotedza kupfuura mafuta;

⁴But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword.

⁴Asi pakupedzisira unovava segavakava; Unopinza somunondo une nhivi mbiri dzinocheka.

⁵Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol Sheol is the place of the dead. .

⁵Tsoka dzake dzinoburukira kurufu; Nhambwe dzake dzinovavarira kuhwiro;

⁶She gives no thought to the way of life. Her ways are crooked, and she doesn’t know it.

⁶Gwara roupenyu, rakati chechetere, haariwani, Nzira dzake dzinotsauka, iye asingazvizivi.

⁷Now therefore, my sons, listen to me. Don’t depart from the words of my mouth.

⁷Saka imi, vanakomana vangu, nditeererei; Regai kutsauka pamashoko omuromo wangu.

⁸Remove your way far from her. Don’t come near the door of her house,

⁸Nzira yako ngaive kure naye, Usaswedera pamukova weimba yake.

⁹lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one;

⁹Kuti urege kupa vamwe kunaka kohujaya hwako, Namakore ako kuno anomoyo mukukutu;

¹⁰lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your labors enrich another man’s house.

¹⁰Kuti vatorwa varege kugutswa nefuma yako, Nezvibereko zvokutambura kwako zviende kumba komweni.

¹¹You will groan at your latter end, when your flesh and your body are consumed,

¹¹Iwe ugochema pakupedzisira kwako, Kana nyama yako nomuviri wako zvaparadzwa,

¹²and say, “How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

¹²Uchiti, Ndakavengereiko kurairirwa, moyo wangu wakashorerei kurairwa?

¹³neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor turned my ear to those who instructed me!

¹³Ndakaregereiko kuteerera inzwi ravadzidzisi vangu, Nokusarerekera nzeve yangu kuna vaindiraira?

¹⁴I have come to the brink of utter ruin, in the midst of the gathered assembly.”

¹⁴Ndakanga ndapinda pane zvakaipa zvose, Pakati pechaunga neungano.

¹⁵Drink water out of your own cistern, running water out of your own well.

¹⁵Imwa mvura padziva rako chairo, Nemvura inoyerera patsime rako chairo.

¹⁶Should your springs overflow in the streets, streams of water in the public squares?

¹⁶Ko matsime ako anofanira kuparadzirwa here, Nzizi dzemvura dziyerere munzira dzomumusha here?

¹⁷Let them be for yourself alone, not for strangers with you.

¹⁷Ngazvive zvako woga, Zvisava zvavatorwa pamwechete newe.

¹⁸Let your spring be blessed. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.

¹⁸Tsime rako ngariropafadzwe; Ufarire mukadzi wohujaya hwako.

¹⁹A loving doe and a graceful deer— let her breasts satisfy you at all times. Be captivated always with her love.

¹⁹Sehadzi yenondo yakanaka, nehadzi yengururu inofadza; Mazamu ake ngaakufadze nguva dzose; Ugare uchigutiswa norudo rwake.

²⁰For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another?

²⁰nekuti iwe, mwanakomana wangu, uchagutsirweiko nomukadzi wokumwe, Uchambundikireiko chipfuva chomweni?

²¹For the ways of man are before the eyes of Yahweh. He examines all his paths.

²¹nekuti nzira dzomunhu dziri pamberi paJehovha; Ndiye anoyera makwara ake ose.

²²The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.

²²Zvivi zvake zvichabata muiti wazvo, Achabatwa namabote ezvivi zvake.

²³He will die for lack of instruction. In the greatness of his folly, he will go astray.

²³Achafa nokushaiwa kurairirwa; Achatsauka noukuru hwoupenzi hwake.