Psalm 49

The Foolishness of Trusting in Riches.

¹Hear this, all peoples;

Listen, all inhabitants of the world,

²Both low and high,

Rich and poor together.

³My mouth will speak wisdom,

And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.

⁴I will incline my ear to a proverb;

I will express my riddle on the harp.

⁵¶Why should I fear in days of adversity,

When the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me,

⁶Those who trust in their wealth

And boast in the abundance of their riches?

⁷No one can by any means redeem another

Or give God a ransom for him—

⁸For the redemption of his soul is priceless,[#49:8 Lit their]

And he should cease imagining forever—

⁹That he might live on eternally,

That he might not undergo decay.

¹⁰¶For he sees that even wise people die;

The foolish and the stupid alike perish

And leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their inner thought is that their houses are forever[#49:11 Some ancient versions graves are their houses]

And their dwelling places to all generations;

They have named their lands after their own names.

¹²But man in his splendor will not endure;

He is like the animals that perish.

¹³¶This is the way of those who are foolish,

And of those after them who approve their words. Selah

¹⁴Like sheep they sink down to Sheol;[#49:14 I.e., the netherworld]

Death will be their shepherd;

And the upright will rule over them in the morning,

And their form shall be for Sheol to consume

So that they have no lofty home.

¹⁵But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,[#49:15 Lit hand; #49:15 I.e., the netherworld]

For He will receive me. Selah

¹⁶¶Do not be afraid when a person becomes rich,

When the splendor of his house is increased;

¹⁷For when he dies, he will take nothing with him;

His wealth will not descend after him.

¹⁸Though while he lives he congratulates himself—[#49:18 Lit his soul]

And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—

¹⁹He will go to the generation of his fathers;[#49:19 Lit You; or It]

They will never see the light.

²⁰Mankind in its splendor, yet without understanding,

Is like the animals that perish.