For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by the sons of Korah.
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1Hear this, all you peoples.
- Listen, all you inhabitants of the world,
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2both low and high,
- rich and poor together.
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3My mouth will speak words of wisdom.
- My heart shall utter understanding.
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4I will incline my ear to a proverb.
- I will open my riddle on the harp.
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5Why should I fear in the days of evil,
- when iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
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6Those who trust in their wealth,
- and boast in the multitude of their riches—
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7none of them can by any means redeem his brother,
- nor give God a ransom for him.
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8For the redemption of their life is costly,
- no payment is ever enough,
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9That he should live on forever,
- that he should not see corruption.
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10For he sees that wise men die;
- likewise the fool and the senseless perish,
- and leave their wealth to others.
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11Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever,
- and their dwelling places to all generations.
- They name their lands after themselves.
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12But man, despite his riches, doesn’t endure.
- He is like the animals that perish.
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13This is the destiny of those who are foolish,
- and of those who approve their sayings.
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14They are appointed as a flock for Sheol.
- Death shall be their shepherd.
- The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.
- Their beauty shall decay in Sheol,
- far from their mansion.
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15But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,
- for he will receive me.
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16Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich,
- when the glory of his house is increased.
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17For when he dies he shall carry nothing away.
- His glory shall not descend after him.
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18Though while he lived he blessed his soul—
- and men praise you when you do well for yourself—
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19he shall go to the generation of his fathers.
- They shall never see the light.
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20A man who has riches without understanding,
- is like the animals that perish.
