| | 1 | For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, | |
| | 2 | both low and high, rich and poor alike: | |
| | 3 | My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding. | |
| | 4 | I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle: | |
| | 5 | Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me-- | |
| | 6 | those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? | |
| | 7 | No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him-- | |
| | 8 | the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough-- | |
| | 9 | that he should live on forever and not see decay. | |
| | 10 | For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. | |
| | 11 | Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves. | |
| | 12 | But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. | |
| | 13 | This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Selah | |
| | 14 | Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. | |
| | 15 | But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah | |
| | 16 | Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; | |
| | 17 | for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. | |
| | 18 | Though while he lived he counted himself blessed--and men praise you when you prosper-- | |
| | 19 | he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life. | |
| | 20 | A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish. | |
