Psalms 49
1Hear this, all you peoples; 1 give ear, all you inhabitants of the world, 1
2both low and high, 1 rich and poor together. 1
3My mouth will speak wisdom 1 and the meditation of my heart will be of understanding. 1
4I will incline my ear to a parable; 1 I will begin my parable with the harp. 1
5Why should I fear the days of evil, 1 when iniquity surrounds me at my heels? 1
6Why should I fear those who trust in their wealth 1 and boast about the amount of their riches? 1
7It is certain that no one can redeem his brother 1 or give God a ransom for him, 1
8For the redemption of one's life is costly, 1 and no one can pay what we owe. 1
9No one can live forever 1 so that his body should not decay. 1
10For he will see decay. Wise men die; 1 the fool and the brute alike perish 1 and leave their wealth to others. 1
11Their inner thought is that their families will continue forever, 1 and the places where they live, to all generations; 1 they call their lands after their own names. 1
12But man, having wealth, does not remain alive; 1 he is like the beasts that perish. 1
13This, their way, is their folly; 1 yet after them, men approve of their sayings. Selah 1
14Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol, 1 and death will be their shepherd. 1 The upright will rule over them in the morning, 1 and their bodies will be consumed in Sheol, 1 with no place for them to live. 1
15But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol; 1 he will receive me. Selah 1
16Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, 1 and the glory of his house increases. 1
17For when he dies he will take nothing away; 1 his glory will not go down after him. 1
18He blessed his soul while he lived— 1 and men praise you when you live for yourself— 1
19he will go to the generation of his fathers 1 and they will never see the light again. 1
20One who has wealth but no understanding 1 is like the beasts, which perish.