Muparidzi 7
1 Zita rakanaka rinopfuura mafuta anonhuhwira zvakanaka kwazvo, uye zuva rokufa rinopfuura zuva rokuzvarwa.
[Having] a good reputation [MTY] is better than fine perfume, and the day that we die is better than the day that we are born.
2 Zviri nani kuenda kuimba yokuchema pano kuenda kuimba yamabiko, nokuti rufu ndiwo mugumo womunhu wose; vapenyu ngavazviise izvi pamwoyo.
It is better to go to a house where people are mourning [about someone who has died] than to go to a house where people are feasting, because everyone will die some day, and people who are alive should think seriously [IDM] about that.
3 Kusuwa kunopfuura kuseka, nokuti chiso chinopunyaira chakanakira mwoyo.
It is better to be sad than to be [always] laughing, because being sad can cause us to think more about how we should conduct our lives [IDM].
4 Mwoyo womuchenjeri uri mumba yokuchema, asi mwoyo yamapenzi iri kuimba yamafaro.
Wise [people] who go to where others are mourning think about [the fact that some day they also will] die, but foolish people [PRS] [do not think about that]; they are always [MTY] laughing.
5 Zviri nani kuteerera kutsiura kwomunhu akachenjera, pano kuteerera rwiyo rwamapenzi.
It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
6 Sokuputika kweminzwa pasi pehari, ndizvo zvakaita kuseka kwamapenzi. Naizvozviwo hazvina maturo.
By [listening to] foolish people laughing we will not [learn any more than by listening to] the crackling of thorns [being burned] under a pot. Listening to fools is senseless.
7 Udzvinyiriri hunoshandura muchenjeri achiva benzi, uye fufuro inosvibisa mwoyo.
When wise people say to others, “You must pay me a lot of money for me to protect you,” that causes those wise people to become foolish, and [accepting] bribes causes people to become unable to do what is fair/just.
8 Magumo echinhu anopfuura mavambo acho, uye mwoyo murefu unopfuura kuzvikudza.
Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
9 Usakurumidza kutsamwa pamweya wako nokuti kutsamwa kunogara muchipfuva chamapenzi.
Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
10 Usati, “Sei mazuva akare ari nani kupfuura azvino?” Nokuti hazvina kuchenjera kubvunza mibvunzo yakadaro.
Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
11 Uchenjeri chinhu chakanaka senhaka, uye hunobatsira avo vanoona zuva.
Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
12 Uchenjeri hunodzivirira sokudzivirira kunoita mari, asi kunakisa kworuzivo ndokuku: kuti uchenjeri hunochengetedza upenyu hwomunhu anahwo.
We are [sometimes] protected by being wise like we are [sometimes] protected by having a lot of money, but being wise is better [than having a lot of money], [because] being wise prevents us from [doing foolish things that would] cause us to die.
13 Cherechedza zvakaitwa naMwari: Ndiani angatwasanudza zvaakagonyanisa?
Think [carefully about] what God has done. Certainly no one can [RHQ] cause to become straight the things that God has caused to be crooked.
14 Kana zvinhu zvakanaka, fara; asi kana nguva dzakaipa, rangarira kuti: Mwari ndiye akaita izvozvo zvose zviri zviviri. Naizvozvo, munhu haagoni kuziva chinhu pamusoro peramangwana rake.
When things are going well for you, be happy, and when things are not going well for you, remember that God is the one who causes good things to happen and who also causes disasters.
15 Muupenyu hwangu husina maturo ndakaona zvose izvi: akarurama achiparara mukururama kwake, nowakaipa achirarama nguva refu mukuipa kwake.
During all the time that I have been alive I have seen a lot of [HYP] things that seem senseless. I have seen righteous people die [while they are still young], and I have seen wicked people remain alive for a very long time in [spite of] their continuing to be wicked.
16 Usava munhu akanyanyisa kururama, kana munhu akanyanyisa kuchenjera, uchazviparadzireiko?
[So] do not think that you are very righteous and do not think that you are very wise, [because if you think those things], you will destroy yourself.
17 Usava munhu akanyanyisa kuipa, uye usava benzi. Ungada kufa nguva yako isati yakwana?
If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
18 Zvakanaka kubatisisa chimwe chinhu, uye usingaregedzi chimwe chacho chichienda. Munhu anotya Mwari acharega kuita zvinopfurikidza mwero.
Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
19 Uchenjeri hunoita kuti mumwe munhu akachenjera ave nesimba guru kupfuura vatariri gumi vari muguta.
If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
20 Hapana munhu akarurama panyika, anoita zvakanaka uye asingatadzi.
There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
21 Usava nehanya namashoko ose anotaurwa navanhu, zvichida ungangonzwa muranda wako achikutuka,
Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
22 nokuti unoziva mumwoyo mako kuti nguva zhinji iwe pachako wakambotuka vamwe.
You know that you have also cursed other people.
23 Zvose izvi ndakazviedza nouchenjeri ndikati, “Ndakazvipira kuva munhu akachenjera,” asi izvi zvaiva kure neni.
I said [to myself] that I would use my wisdom to study all the things [that I have written about], but I was not able to do it successfully.
24 Chii zvacho chingava uchenjeri, chiri kure kwazvo uye chakadzama, ndiani angachiwana?
Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
25 Saka ndakashandura pfungwa dzangu ndikatanga kutsvaka kunzwisisa, kuti ndiongorore uye nditsvakisise uchenjeri nourongwa hwezvinhu, uye kuti ndinzwisise upenzi hwokuipa nomupengo hwoupenzi.
But I decided to investigate things and by my wisdom try to understand the reason for everything. I also wanted to understand why people act wickedly and why they act very foolishly.
26 Ndakawana chinhu chinovava kupfuura rufu, mukadzi anova musungo, mwoyo wake uri hunza uye maoko ake ari ngetani. Munhu anofadza Mwari achapunyuka kwaari, asi mutadzi achabatwa naye.
[One thing I learned was that] (allowing a woman to seduce you/having sex with a woman to whom you are not married) is worse than dying. A woman who tries to seduce men is [as dangerous as] a trap [MET]. [If you allow her to put] her arms [around you, it will be as though she will be fastening you with] chains. Women like that will capture sinful men, but men who please God will escape from such women.
27 Muparidzi anoti, “Tarira, izvi ndizvo zvandakawana: “Ndichisanganisa chimwe nechimwe kuti ndiwane marongerwo ezvinhu,
This is what I have learned: I tried to learn more and more about things to try to find out the reason for everything,
28 pandakanga ndichiri kutsvaka asi ndisina chandinowana, ndakawana murume mumwe chete akarurama pakati pechiuru, asi handina kuwana mukadzi mumwe chete akarurama pakati pavo vose.
and I continued to try to learn more, but I could not find [all that I was searching for]. [But] one thing that I found out was that among 1,000 [people] I found one righteous man, but I did not find even one righteous woman.
29 Chinhu ichi chete ndicho chandakawana chokuti: Mwari akaita vanhu vakarurama, asi vanhu vakaenda kundotsvaka mano mazhinji.”
[But] I did learn one thing: When God created people, they were righteous, but they have found many ways to do many evil things.
