| 1 | Hear this, all you peoples; give ear, all you inhabitants of the world, |
| 2 | Both low and high, rich and poor together: |
| 3 | My mouth shall speak wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. |
| 4 | I will submit
and
consent to a parable
or
proverb; to the music of a lyre I will unfold my riddle (my problem). |
| 5 | Why should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of those who would supplant me surrounds me on every side, |
| 6 | Even of those who trust in
and
lean on their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? |
| 7 | None of them can by any means redeem [either himself or] his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him— |
| 8 | For the ransom of a life is too costly, and [the price one can pay] can never suffice— |
| 9 | So that he should live on forever
and
never see the pit (the grave)
and
corruption. |
| 10 | For he sees that even wise men die; the [self-confident] fool and the stupid alike perish and leave their wealth to others. |
| 11 | Their inward thought is that their houses will continue forever,
and
their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands their own [apart from God]
and
after their own names. |
| 12 | But man, with all his honor
and
pomp, does not remain; he is like the beasts that perish. |
| 13 | This is the fate of those who are foolishly confident, yet after them men approve their sayings.
Selah
[pause, and calmly think of that]! |
| 14 | Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol (the place of the dead); death shall be their shepherd. And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their form
and
beauty shall be consumed, for Sheol shall be their dwelling. |
| 15 | But God will redeem me from the power of Sheol (the place of the dead); for He will receive me.
Selah
[pause, and calmly think of that]! |
| 16 | Be not afraid when [an ungodly] one is made rich, when the wealth
and
glory of his house are increased; |
| 17 | For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not descend after him. |
| 18 | Though while he lives he counts himself happy
and
prosperous, and though a man gets praise when he does well [for himself], |
| 19 | He will go to the generation of his fathers, who will nevermore see the light. |
| 20 | A man who is held in honor and understands not is like the beasts that perish. |