Psalms 49
1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all inhabitants of the world,
TO THE OVERSEER. A PSALM OF THE SONS OF KORAH. Hear this, all you peoples, Give ear, all you inhabitants of the world.
2 both low and high, rich and poor alike.
Both low and high, together rich and needy.
3 My mouth will impart wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.
My mouth speaks wise things, And the meditations of my heart [are] things of understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle with the harp:
I incline my ear to an allegory, I open my riddle with a harp:
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when wicked usurpers surround me?
Why do I fear in days of evil? The iniquity of my supplanters surrounds me.
6 They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.
Those trusting on their wealth, And in the multitude of their riches, Show themselves foolish.
7 No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God.
A brother ransoms no one at all, He does not give to God his atonement.
8 For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice,
And precious [is] the redemption of their soul, And it has ceased for all time.
9 that he should live on forever and not see decay.
And still he lives forever, He does not see the pit.
10 For it is clear that wise men die, and the foolish and the senseless both perish and leave their wealth to others.
For he sees wise men die, Together the foolish and brutish perish, And have left their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their eternal homes— their dwellings for endless generations— even though their lands were their namesakes.
Their heart [is that] their houses [are] for all time, Their dwelling places from generation to generation. They proclaimed their names over the lands.
12 But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.
And man does not remain in honor, He has been like the beasts, they have been cut off.
13 This is the fate of the self-confident and their followers who endorse their sayings.
This their way [is] folly for them, And their posterity are pleased with their sayings. (Selah)
14 Like sheep they are destined for Sheol. Death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning, and their form will decay in Sheol, far from their lofty abode. (Sheol h7585)
They have set themselves as sheep for Sheol, Death afflicts them, And the upright rule over them in the morning, And their form [is] for consumption. Sheol [is] a dwelling for him. (Sheol h7585)
Only, God ransoms my soul from the hand of Sheol, For He receives me. (Selah) (Sheol h7585)
16 Do not be amazed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases.
Do not fear when one makes wealth, When the glory of his house is abundant,
17 For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down.
For at his death he receives nothing, His glory does not go down after him.
18 Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul— and men praise you when you prosper—
For he blesses his soul in his life (And they praise you when you do well for yourself).
19 he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of day.
It comes to the generation of his fathers, They do not see the light forever.
20 A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
Man in honor, who does not understand, Has been like the beasts, they have been cut off!
