Psalm 49

¹Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

²Both low and high, Rich and poor together.

³My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.

⁴I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.

⁵Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?

⁶Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches,

⁷None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him—

⁸For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever—

⁹That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit.

¹⁰For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, And leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names.

¹²Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; He is like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the way of those who are foolish, And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah

¹⁴Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them; The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling.

¹⁵But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah

¹⁶Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased;

¹⁷For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him.

¹⁸Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),

¹⁹He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light.

²⁰A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, Is like the beasts that perish.