Psalms 49:1–20

^{To the director. Of the sons of Ko′rah. A melody.}

¹Hear this, all ​YOU​ peoples.
Give ear, all ​YOU​ inhabitants of the system of things,
²YOU​ sons of humankind as well as ​YOU​ sons of man,
You rich one and you poor one together.

³My own mouth will speak things of wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be of things of understanding.

⁴To a proverbial utterance I shall incline my ear;
On a harp I shall open up my riddle.

⁵Why should I be afraid in the days of evil,
[When] the very error of my supplanters surrounds me?

⁶Those who are trusting in their means of maintenance,
And who keep boasting about the abundance of their riches,
⁷Not one of them can by any means redeem even a brother,
Nor give to God a ransom for him;
⁸(And the redemption price of their soul is so precious
That it has ceased to time indefinite)

⁹That he should still live forever [and] not see the pit.

¹⁰For he sees that even the wise ones die,
Together the stupid one and the unreasoning one perish,
And they must leave to others their means of maintenance.

¹¹Their inward wish is that their houses may be to time indefinite,
Their tabernacles to generation after generation.
They have called their landed estates by their names.

¹²And yet earthling man, though in honor, cannot keep lodging;
He is indeed comparable with the beasts that have been destroyed.

¹³This is the way of those who have stupidity,
And of those coming after them who take pleasure in their very mouthings. ​Se′lah.

¹⁴Like sheep they have been appointed to She′ol itself;
Death itself will shepherd them;
And the upright ones will have them in subjection in the morning,
And their forms are due to wear away;
She′ol rather than a lofty abode is for each one.

¹⁵However, God himself will redeem my soul from the hand of She′ol,
For he will receive me. ​Se′lah.

¹⁶Do not be afraid because some man gains riches,
Because the glory of his house increases,
¹⁷For at his death he cannot take along anything at all;
His glory will not go down along with him himself.

¹⁸For during his lifetime he kept blessing his own soul;
(And people will laud you because you do well for yourself)

¹⁹[His soul] finally comes only as far as the generation of his forefathers.
Nevermore will they see the light.

²⁰Earthling man, although in honor, who does not understand,
Is indeed comparable with the beasts that have been destroyed.