Psalms 49
1 TO THE OVERSEER. A PSALM OF THE SONS OF KORAH. Hear this, all you peoples, Give ear, all you inhabitants of the world.
To the Chief Musician. For the Sons of Korah. A Melody. Hear ye, this all ye peoples, Give ear, all ye inhabitants of this passing world;
2 Both low and high, together rich and needy.
Both sons of the low, And sons of the high, —Together both rich and needy: —
3 My mouth speaks wise things, And the meditations of my heart [are] things of understanding.
My mouth, shall speak forth Wisdom, And the soft utterance of my heart be Understanding:
4 I incline my ear to an allegory, I open my riddle with a harp:
I will bend, to a by-word, mine ear, I will open, on the lyre, mine enigma.
5 Why do I fear in days of evil? The iniquity of my supplanters surrounds me.
Wherefore should I fear in the days of calamity, Though the iniquity of them who lie in wait for me should enclose me?
6 Those trusting on their wealth, And in the multitude of their riches, Show themselves foolish.
As for them who are trusting in their wealth, —And, in the abundance of their riches, do boast themselves,
7 A brother ransoms no one at all, He does not give to God his atonement.
A brother, can none of them, redeem, he cannot give unto God a ransom for himself:
8 And precious [is] the redemption of their soul, And it has ceased for all time.
So costly, is the redemption of their soul, That it faileth unto times age-abiding;
9 And still he lives forever, He does not see the pit.
That he should, yet, live on, continually, Should not see corruption.
10 For he sees wise men die, Together the foolish and brutish perish, And have left their wealth to others.
For it is seen that, the wise, die, Together with the dullard, and the brutish, do they perish, And leave, to others, their wealth:
11 Their heart [is that] their houses [are] for all time, Their dwelling places from generation to generation. They proclaimed their names over the lands.
Their, inward thought, is that their houses are for times age-abiding, Their habitations, for generation after generation, —They give their own names unto lands!
12 And man does not remain in honor, He has been like the beasts, they have been cut off.
But, a son of earth, though wealthy, cannot tarry, He hath made himself a by-word—Beasts, they resemble:
13 This their way [is] folly for them, And their posterity are pleased with their sayings. (Selah)
This, their way, is a folly to them, And yet, their followers, with their mouth, approve. (Selah)
14 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)
Like sheep—into hades, are they driven, Death shall shepherd them, —And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, Even their form, is to decay, Hades, is all that remaineth of a habitation for him. (Sheol h7585)
But, God, will redeem my soul, out of the hand of hades, For he will take me. (Selah) (Sheol h7585)
16 Do not fear when one makes wealth, When the glory of his house is abundant,
Do not fear, When a man becometh rich, When the glory of his house increaseth;
17 For at his death he receives nothing, His glory does not go down after him.
For, when he dieth, he shall take, nothing, his glory shall not descend after him;
18 For he blesses his soul in his life (And they praise you when you do well for yourself).
For, though, his own self—while he lived, he used to bless, And they will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself,
19 It comes to the generation of his fathers, They do not see the light forever.
He shall enter as far as the circle of his fathers, Nevermore, shall they see the light.
20 Man in honor, who does not understand, Has been like the beasts, they have been cut off!
A son of earth though wealthy, who discerneth not, Hath made himself a by-word, Beasts, they resemble.
