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