Merku describes his family tree. He describes his village of Tsawa, where one of the three Jewish cemeteries in the province of Qwara was located. He began to herd goats with his older brother when he was five. When he was older, he would go alone far from home with the goats and cows. Merku talks about the games he used to play with his friends when he was a child. His father taught him to read and write.

At the beginning of each Hebrew year, every farmer marked the plots he wanted to work and received the right to work the land in exchange for paying taxes. Merku lists the crops he grew and describes in detail the work of turning over the soil, planting, and harvesting. He notes when each crop was grown and describes the characteristics of the various types of soil.  

Merku and his older brother worked in trade. They sold beans, onions, and other crops in Sudan. They would lead convoys of donkeys from Sudan to the marketplaces in Qwara bearing merchandise such as metals, salt, clothes, house wares, and more. There was also bartering of merchandise from Ethiopia in exchange for weapons and ammunition in Sudan. Merku talks about the methods of trade. He describes the opportunities he encountered along with problems such as robbers or fatigue of the pack donkeys.

As he was especially fast, Merku was sent to deliver information from place to place, such as notifying people about illnesses, recoveries, deaths, weddings, and so forth. He was often a guest at marriage and divorce ceremonies. He describes the traditions of the divorce ceremony and the manner in which the assets were divided between the couple.

When he was 18, his sister was injured by lightning that set her house on fire. He was married at the age of 20 and over time he and his wife had seven children.